Participant Blogs

  Explore Africa: Luke 10 Excitement filled the air as our leaders announced: " A Luke 10 journey from Dakar in Senegal to Bamako in Mali." Preparations began as we studied Luke 10 in the Bible. By the time we were ready to depart from our leaders and Dakar, we had the same mission imprinted on our hearts and minds as the disciples had in Luke 10: to heal the sick and spread the Word of God. From our first bus ride to Tambacounda we experienced God working as He sent our woman of peace on the same bus. We...

Thousands upon thousands of Senegalese slaves were transported to the House of Slaves, from where they were to be sold on the slave market to their future owners. As they were transported to the island where the House of Slaves were situated, they saw the last sight of their beloved continent and country. I can imagine the sorrow, bitterness and hatred the slaves must have felt towards the people that have captured them into the slave industry. In the House of Slaves the sadness and the gloom is still hanging over every room where the slaves were kept. There is a...

We journeyd into the western heart of Africa, from Morocco to Senegal. We used every means of transportation possible and we arrived safely at our destination. From busses to a ferry and then God surprised us with the best transport we could imagine through the Mauritanian desert - two big, luxurious Mercedes taxis! Never would I have thought to travel through the desert, let alone with a Mercedes. We had a journey filled with laughter and surprises as we travelled from Morocco, through Western Sahara and Mauritania to Senegal. All in just three days. We arrived late at night in the...

Small and crooked streets path open the ways in the Medina, a true Moroccan old city. Behind every corner lies a new alley to explore and a new adventure that awaits. The streets are lined with colourful objects, food stalls billow with smoke and a new smell that urges you to taste the traditional food. The streets are filled with laughing children, running around and playing games. Behind you there's someone shouting pardon! and the next moment you are almost face to face with a donkey pulling a cart through the narrow streets. From all around you there are friendly people...

Blessing upon blessing is a precise description of my experience in Dahab, Egypt. From sea, snorkeling and milkshakes to divine appointments and great friendships that were built in the early hours of the day.  God has truly proved to be faithful and has blessed us with divine appointmetns within the local community of Dahab.  We had the opportunity of forming great friendships and to see Egypt from a new angle - from the eyes of the local Christians. We could listen to the struggles of their hearts and hear what day to day life was like as a Christian in...

Of course being in London you see a lot of the royal family. Deep down most people want to be part of the royal family. You maybe dream of marrying prince William and to follow in the footsteps of princess Diana. With so much authority and money at your disposal you can change the world. Maybe you dream about being the king and to rule the country. It could be great - everyone looking up to and wishing they could be just like you. I wondered about the royal family and their responsibilities and most of all their hearts. Being...

After spending 4 weeks in London I have to ask myself: "Was the London experience a trial or a blessing?" To be honest, I still don't know the answer. I do know that London was a challenge on more than one level: spiritually and emotionally.  We arrived early on a cold and wet Friday morning (nothing new for England!) and headed to the SA Congregation's Festival grounds. After pitching our tents we made a team effort and soon pitched all the tents that was needed for the festival. After spending the very wet and stormy night in the tent, we were...

Roasting marshmallows by candle light is not adventurous enough, we needed a new challenge and some adventure...roasting, or rather burning, marshmallowes on a volcano...  We packed our bags and headed for a trip to the beautiful town of Antigua. On the way there we stopped at the volcano, expecting a 3km hike up the mountain and then the ultimate experience - roasting marshmallows over burning coals or lava. We were as prepared as we thought we can ever be! We wore long pants for protection from the heat, took water, made peace with the fact that our shoes are going...

Normal 0 Way up in the mountain with an awesome view over Lake Atitlan, we had the opportunity to build a house for a family.   Over the course of the week we had several tasks to complete. We had to build steps that lead to the house, the new building and build up a wall to prevent further erosion by the water coming down from the mountain. The first day on site started out by collecting stones of various sizes from all over the mountain to start with the first steps while some of the others started to work...

We often hear and use these words: "The world is a small place." But just how small is it? Small enough for all of us to understand the same language? Definitely. Even though you may need the help of Google here and there! I had the most amazing experience during a bible study gathering. We were seven Afrikaans girls and four Spanish guys. We had a bible study theme to work through and to discuss. One problem: they don't speak much English and we don't speak much Spanish. After a few minutes of trying to translate and to understand what...