Participant Blogs

Istanbul! How cool was it to be in one city on two different continents!!!! That blew my mind! But what caught me first is how alive everything was. Driving from the airport in Asia to our guesthouse in Europe (I know.. It sounds quite cool.) I saw that this city definitely never sleeps. Buildings light up and dance, all around amazing tulip plantations show you which way to go. I was captivated by the beauty of Turkey. My heart ached at the sight of everything. I knew that this would be my favorite country! When we reached Mavi Guesthouse we...

Going to Turkey was different for many of us. Some enjoyed not knowing where to go, what to do or what God has planned for us there. We only knew that He wants us to serve but the question was who first. The first guess was the refugees. Makes sense…they need help… we are here to serve… so we aimed for them, but it was like shooting a moving target in the dark. We heard so many rumours about where they are or should be but arriving only to see a lack of people to serve… Praying to God for...

Israel.    What can we say. Our lives were impacted. Impacted firstly because we came to know that we were not in Israel because we wanted to be, we were in Israel because God invited us to be there. In His holy land.    All of us experienced a walk with Jesus. His footsteps, our footsteps becoming one. We realized that none of us had the same experience, God personally came and met each one of us where we were at. Exactly when He wanted to and how He wished to do so.   Israel is really, truly the Holy...

Many of times we hear how much God loves us and wish nothing but the best for all his children; the ones that know his love and the ones that don’t know it as much. Looking back at my life, knowing all the wrong that I have done to others and myself, I’ve said and done things that I will always be ashamed of, the worst was not knowing if I am really forgiven. I’ve read the scripters and have said the words out loud, but still every detail of my past was not forgiven; well at least not all,...

Just to apologize, the title should've been - "O, how the 'mighty' have fallen, falls and still will fall." The mindset I have about myself can many times distort reality. This mighty one, who can do so much and accomplish even more. But these days I am realizing my thought pattern is very frayed.   So I've heard that we can be mighty when Jesus works through us (if we allow Him to work through us). And it makes sense, it really does. Maybe you're even getting an audible deja vu now.   I think my question is: How deep...

As a kid, the realization that the Supermarket name 'Pick-n-Pay' (used it so often) actually means 'you pick something and then you pay' was major! I was so proud to figure that out. Now it's a similar situation. That I experience the Challenge in the name Global CHALLENGE.   Turkey, lovely Turkey. I dont know if they were overly cautious seeing 10 tents (mostly orange) perfectly pitched in a public park, but the Park security the Police and the Metro Guards didn't need to team up. Why did I choose to sleep on the side?  so that they can shake...

Israel We decided to spend a few days in Israel to rest and fill our tanks. We spent 5 days in Jerusalem, Israel. There's a SA missionary who opened her house to us. Her house is a permanent house of prayer and people come and go to pray for the peace of Jerusalem there. She took us to many places in Jerusalem to see where Jesus walked, was crucified, his tomb, where the outpouring of the holy spirit happened in the upper room, mount zion, the mount of olives etc. This was phenomenal, as you can imagine. We also learned...

  I had a hard time writing this post. Not for the lack of things happening. Not for the lack of God working. Not for the lack of anything! In it's own way Israel was amazing. Visiting God's Holy Land. Getting to interact with God's bride. Getting to know how 2 different people groups get along together in one country basically split up in two. Israel was amazing. Going to Bethlehem and experiencing the birthplace of Jesus, moving along to Jerusalem and seeing where Jesus was crucified, buried and risen. That was something amazing. Experiencing God's work in me. Israel...

  I think it's important to remember that God didn't create religion. People did. It's funny, we run around placing little labels on all sorts of spiritual things and calling it OUR RELIGION. Isn't that just what we do with people as well? See we meet people. We kinda talk to them for a while, "get to know them" without getting to know them and then we slap a sticker all over what we "know" about them and we file them in a box with a lot of other stuff with the same stupid label. Our own little factory if...

Israel .. It was so awesome to be in this place, really it was! It was crazy expensive but it is such a beautiful country. We saw so much and learnt quite a bit about the Jewish culture and about where Jesus was and all that stuff. We did gardening and went on small tours. I want to take this opportunity to apologize to my mother for me always being so lazy and not helping in the garden or around the house because I actually really enjoyed it! Sorry mom! I'm so grateful that I could grow closer to my...