Participant Blogs

Don't play with it. It's fragile. If you bust a string none of us can play. It's just a guitar. I caught myself being so obsessed with something that can be so easily fixed if it were to break. Even replaced. I'm still new, I'm still learning. The only difference between me and my 5 year old niece is she isn't afraid to experiment. To listen to every string. To play. To just enjoy the sounds. I try to listen and mimic. She plays because she wants to hear the sounds she allows the instrument to make. Carefree her little...

    So after cold and grey Russia we arrived in Cuba..stepping of the plane I was welcomed with the heat of the Caribbean and people talking, laughing and smiling. Driving out of the airport it felt like I went back in time. There is nothing modern in Cuba, everything is still the Same as in the 80's.  I was amazed to see how people just carried on living in that way. The music is everywhere and as you go you catch the one beat from the other one. There's people dancing in the streets in their houses in restaurants....

The journey of grace started in Russia and by the end of Cuba while sitting in a coffee shop drinking coffee that tastes like sea water and being told to keep quiet by the waitress because we laughing too loud, God concluded the first part of an unending series of His grace. A friend asked me what grace means to me... Well everyone says, 'by the grace of God I can be here today,' then obviously  it's the power of God that allows good things to happen to us and through us... Clearly I didn't understand, so I asked  God to...

 Since Kosovo, our team has stepped into a musical. The absence of wifi and the presence of lovely hosts made the difference. We had a lot of freedom to spend time with Christ and grow in unity. It was a healing and strengthening time there and not at all a disappointment. The fact that we could not go to China is long forgotten, because we truly believe God wanted us in Kosovo. Our hosts admitted to wishing for help and knowing God used us to show them He hears their prayers even before they pray them, means the world. We...

Kosovo was diffrent for me than the rest of the group. Firstly I heard about my flight going to Kosovo instead of China while in South Africa after getting my new passport, thereby going to a place unexpected. There we met two missionary familys whom took us in with more than just open arms. One of the family's daughters thinks I am superman because I am wild and never really got hurt... that she knew of in anyway, but what really got me about Kosovo was that God revived my identity to a comfortable place where He could start working...

So it has been a few days since we left the comfort of Europe and arrived here in Asia and it dawned on me that I haven’t really given feedback yet on what we did in Kosovo. With traveling over time zones always comes the intense confusion of not knowing if it is breakfast or dinner time and of course the body only wants to sleep. But I am awake and memories of the west are flooding back, so here is what happened… As going to Kosovo was an unexpected blessing after our China visas didn’t come through, we didn’t...

From Israel coming, arriving in Russia is like traveling at least 30 years back into the past. In Israel where WIFI is everywhere available, even on public buses or on beaches, it was hard to find one place with WIFI in Russia. Comfortable 2 level trains in Israel vs  old overcrowded underground trains in Russia, where it's almost impossible to get a seat…. People in need are hungry for the Gospel! Although the most people can't speak any English, we could sense their hunger for more. And: “happy are those who are persecuted for they do what God requires; for...

  We have had to do with many missionaries this year and every time we meet another couple i come to realize the feeling i have towards them is pity. Do you feel like you are fulfilling your purpose? Are you sorry you are not living the American dream? Are you lonely? Do you feel like you have done meaningful things? Are you content? Is this home for you? Would you go back? Do you have true friends? These are the questions I could finally sum up and I see now that it showed how backward my perception is. 1John...

Kosovo has been good! My mother said she was going to step into interceding for me and it is amazing how powerful prayer is! I feel like this is the most God has ever revealed of Himself to me. It started with being met by love when I was vulnerable ( dancing and singing like a mad person). A lot of healing happens when you show yourself and in return get a standing ovation from a Star Breather. So imagine this scene. There are three judges and the contestant reluctantly steps out on the stage. Music starts and this poor...

After spending more or less 3 weeks in both Turkey and Israel, it almost seemed a bit of a steal to only spend 10 days in Russia, but what a full 10 days it was.   After spending the whole day practicing our drama in the Ben Gurion airport in Israel and waking up at 3:30am to check in at the airline counter, it's needless to say we were far from fully functioning by the time we landed in Moscow that afternoon. Two busses and 3 trains later, we arrived at the hosts house to be greeted by the information...