Humbled. Silent. Humbly silent. In the busyness of Peru, we still had the privilege of being given time to climb Machu Picchu. Three years of excitement stored up for this moment, I was ready to go - not even the 2000 death steps we had to climb to get to the top could dull the excitement buzzing in me. When we got to the top, we were greeted by thick mist and could hardly see what was in front of us. Trying to stay positive and accepting the fact that I wouldn't get good photos, I stared at the mist...
Participant Blogs
Global Challenge Missions Blog Archive: These are real blogs, from real people, bringing real change...
Israel - the Holy Land. The land overflowing with milk and honey. The very first nation we encountered. With a lot of faith and no set plan we arrived at Ben Gurion in the early hours of the morning. This was it. Too late to look back, too soon to say what lay ahead. We just knew it was going to be a grande adventure with Jesus. And it was. Sleeping on the rooftop of a hostel with the most incredible view of Jerusalem, spontaneously dancing at the Western Wall - we did it all. All that the city had...
Wait! What? This is not about me? So I am selfish. Done. That's it. What else is left to say? Listen to this sentence - it tells you values that Global Challenge decided on. We share the Good news to a world in need. Guess what I concentrated on. Yup, good guess! The 'we'-part. Luckily I can promise you this: God will reveal unto you if in anything you are otherwise (than what He wants) minded (Phil 3:15). Because He is faithful to His word, He came to show me how absolutely selfish I am. I started realizing how...
So this is the account of our Luke10 faith journey. This story starts with two guys setting out on an adventure. Jesus sent out his disciples two by two into towns to prepare the way for the kingdom. We prayed and felt God said we should travel through Argentina to the city of Asuncion in Paraguay. I asked God to show me His love on this Luke 10...He did. Day 1 - Wednesday 14 Oct On a bus from Chile to Argentina at 05:00 We traveled over the Andes mountains at 4200m above sea level Andes mountains are amazing...snow capped...
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...
Facing the last day of an unforgettable journey in Guatemala... A book can be written about God-appointments, memories, divine relationships and everlasting friendships inspired by the centre of God's heart.. Four years ago, I heard the testimony of a man in Guatemala who not only sold his soul to Satan, but who hated God in such an extent that His salvation prayer ended up to be a proclamation of cursing God, laughing at Him and trying to destroy the very person that God breathed his father breath into. He got showered with God's love and delivered by His mercy. ...
We were welcomed by a bunch of crazy, ukulele-playing servant leaders singing "Welcome to the Global Challenge. This will be the best year that you ever experience." My excitement overcame my fear and uncertainty, and before I even knew it my parents were gone and I needed to become a part of this whole new family. Like my dad described it, he isn't losing his 2 children this year, he is receiving a whole lot more of them. We were made a part of this community from the very beginning, going to Baviaanskloof for the first weekend and just...
Started off this sweet country by spending 2 nights in the Tel Aviv Airport. After this we camped beside the Sea of Galilee and karyoke bar ( not really , just felt that way from our lovely neighbours haha) It was so cool having bible study there, reading about Jesus's life. It kinda made the scriptures more real, seeing and being in the places where Jesus did ministry. Next we went to Jerusalem. We helped out the church we were staying at by picking their olive trees and cleaning their gardens a bit and...
A few days to leave the beautiful South Africa I can summarize my experience in a single word: "Amazing!!!" I carry in my heart a vision, a model and many teachings to apply in Peru and in South America. The vision applies to form leaders who serve and influence all areas of society (political, economic, social and spiritual). These leaders are formed at a young age from the school (preschool) seeking to enhance the capacities that are being developed at home with the help of their parents. They will continue to be trained through missionary training. They will make a...
“Abba, I belong to you!” Five words that will be etched into my life forever. Words that have been spoken by many, but truly felt by little. These last few months have been a rollercoaster. So many unexpected turns, so many ups and downs, so much turbulence but so much freedom. I was thinking about all the people that came before me. All the people that had to make a conscience decision to follow Jesus blindly into what He was doing for them. I recall the story of Cain and Abel. Abel brought a better sacrifice to God by...
To get from Marrakech to Fes we had to take a long bus ride. The plan was to take the bus, arrive at the bus station in Fes, get connected to the Internet and let Mustafa from the hostel know we've arrived as arranged. Upon arriving at the bus station there he was - Mustafa was waiting for us, welcoming us with such overeagerness it was convincing. Being confident this was it we followed Mustafa, got in a cab and next thing we found ourselves in very fancy hostel. Beautiful patterns lined the walls of the Riad and comfortable couches...
One month ago, we sat/lay on the floor of Ben Gurion Int. Airport not knowing what to expect from Israel and having no idea what lay ahead. Today we sit in the same airport, wearing the same clothes as when we arrived (washed, of course) but our hearts are completely changed. To put our Israel experience into words would be a great injustice as there are not nearly enough words in the English vocabulary to explain each one in detail. Israel in a nutshell from each one of our teammates looks a little something like this: David...
What a privilege. What a phrase. Not only was this a common phrase used during training, but it's a phrase we, as Explore Africa, will be taking with us into the nations. This is not just a phrase - it's an attitude, a lifestyle rather. Life is all about perspective, and this is ours... What a privilege to be children of God, to be part of His Kingdom and to advance it. What a privilege to travel the world in a God-seeking lifestyle with the desire to serve, love and restore. What a privilege to get to share our journey...
I am so thankful for: African time; it is better than Turkish time, free public toilets, the SPCA, understanding Afrikaans, 'n lekker Braai, wearing shoes in the house, western toilets, Yum Yums double crunch peanut butter, google translater, an open window in a truck with a smoker driver for 7 hours, not having my pasta taken and hidden away by my team, not waking up to the sound of ziplock packets opening, not being called the spice girls or Charlie's angels by every merchant in the market but above all, I am so thankful for these things because they have...
Hello everyone ! This couple of weeks, I could experiment deeply what was the meaning of the verse 8 from the chapter 55 in the book of Isaiah: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. Everything started at the border of Suriname. Pastor Deo brought us al the way from Timehri to the Surinamese border with a Bus. So we all went out of the bus and had to hurry to embark in the ferry. We went for the check of our passport, everything was fine for everyone EXCEPT for me...
"So we beat on, boats against the current…" – F. Scott Fitzgerald. Macedonia – the nation with the most monuments I have seen in such a short distance of each other, cheap chocolate spread and a beautiful lake named Ohrid. This lake is one of the oldest and deepest lakes in Europe. We had the privilege of visiting this lake on Monday. Starting my journey in Macedonia was like getting into a little boat on Lake Ohrid with my own pair of wooden carved paddles. Ready for this adventure with Jesus. I was waiting for a storm to come, or for...
Arriving at our frist country with such a low expectations thinking that we will probably be camping ouside the church due to lack of rooms but was so surprised to us sleeping in warm beds (no one expected that) but the beds were not the only things that was warm,but the hospitality of loving people that live here was over all the best experience of all.Welcoming us with open arms showering us with love and blessings.Making each of us feel so important to them,appreciating everything BIG and small thing we do and blessing us with so much FOOD. this community blessed us...
"Lights will guide you home and ignite your bones." Words that kept playing over and over again in my mind as the lights of all the cities of Africa came alive to guide us to a place that feels like home. I finally understand why they say "Your home is where your heart is." Israel...A place where Jesus' presence screams : 'HERE I AM , COME FIND ME!" And boy did I find Him. Oh Israel, how I've longed to walk the streets of your ancient cities and gaze upon their splendor and beauty. How glorious the...
Welcome to my first blog! We had the privilege to experience a lot during the training time, but I just want to share two of my highlights. The survival week was one of my favourite times in traning. The fact that we had every day challenges against the other teams to get food changed my thinking about it, we should be thankful for our daily dishes and it is a privilege to have enough to eat. I enjoyed my teammates and the fact that we did everything together as a team. Luke 10- journey: We had the task to travel...
Every Luke 10 faith journey looks different. The single similarity however is the golden thread of God’s greatness that is weaved into each adventure. This greatness is often displayed in the provision, protection and extraordinary miracles God does through ordinary people. With the memory of my previous 3-day journey from Mthatha to Jeffrey’s Bay still in the back of my mind, I felt slightly nervous hearing about the next level of trust: 7 days (and 7 nights) relying on God to lead, provide, cross a pretty broad language barrier and use us to display His glory in a foreign land...
Everything began at the aiport in Tel aviv on saturady - sabbath - with no public transportations... So we prayed in small groups and got this vers: 'This is my command - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.' Joshua 1:9. Perfect vers to hitchhike to the see of galilee! What a great experience! Six days full of hiking and God's blessings through free bananas, grapefruits, 25 fishes and bread made this definitely my highlight! This week showed us that God is really with us and...
What? How does that work? It does, if you're a sinner. I am a very honest person and I want you to fully understand my journey, so yeah, sometimes you're going to think I am an absolute fool. Great! Please think that, because my friend, that's exactly how gross and sinful and foolish I am, without God. Great thing that God doesn't leave us in our sins. Thank God He doesn't. Now of course, you want the juice (news) of what I have done. I thought that I had the right to want. I started to want the things other...
Delhi. What an amazing city: Vibrant and full of enticing smells and sounds. Tasty street food in all shapes and sizes with chai tea around every corner and a great place for some souvenir shopping. Before arriving I heard about all the marvellous things to experience in Delhi, but there is one thing that people seem to underemphasize: the Delhi tax. You see, Delhi provides all these wonderful sights, sounds and tastes at a cost. It demands payment in one way or another. If you do not spend all your money or time there, then it will take what it...
Sahlep n. a traditional winter warmer, a common beverage in Turkey. The powder of Sahlep is sold in a ready-to-prepare form, to be mixed with cold milk or water, boiled until it gets thick so that it can really sooth our sore throats and take away that cold during the blistery winter days. The dust of cinnamon makes it even more pleasurable. It is thick, it is sweet, it is comforting. I would like to use this delicious drink, made out of orchids, as a metaphor to describe my time in Turkey: As we arrived with a lot...
En route Morocco Currently I'm writing from this very trendy hostel in Morocco. Imagine Moroccan architecture, soft music and chilled vibes along with good coffee. This all is very welcoming after spending two nights on two different airports across three different continents. Yep, that's what went down - four cities, three flights, two nights in airports (a sleeping bag, inflatable mattress and pillow make a formidable combination in any situation!). The journey is obviously not about just the country - there's a lot more to it. And when choosing the cheapest way of traveling a thing I would like to...
Kenia fue el primer país al que arribamos durante nuestro East Africa Tour - LiveYourWay. En este país , las primeras personas que nos recibieron con los brazos abiertos fueron los integrantes de la comunidad Masai . Esta es una comunidad afincada desde hace mucho tiempo en las altas montañas de Narok. Conocer su cultura y costumbres marcó mi corazón y me dió una nueva perspectiva acerca de las misiones interculturales. Es reconfortante saber que existen personas con un llamado misionero especial trabajando en la evangelización de esta comunidad además de buscar su integración a la sociedad actual. Kenya was...
After our Machu Picchu adventure we got on a bus to the Bolivian border from Cusco on a Monday evening at 22:30. We reached the Bolivian border the next morning with anticipation and hopes of seeing the jungle again but...God had other plans. About an hour later we found ourselves on the pavement back in Peru as we couldn't get into Bolivia. In a rush of praying and thinking and trusting we unloaded our bags from the bus and waved it goodbye as it entered Bolivia without us. So there we were...apparently Peru wanted some more pictures with us....
Two different worlds in one month. Russia: cold and quite people Cuba: hot and open people The first three days in Havana were really hard for me, because the hot weather and the long walks made me so exhausted. So from this point I started to hope that the next three weeks will go quickly. After a twelve hour truck drive and first meeting with the Gladios members I started to enjoy this time. We had the privilege to build new friendships with them and work in the organisation and their church. In our free time we discovered Santiago...
Five days, five countries… We travelled from Guatemala to Costa Rica, passing through El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. God really surprised me and it was such a joy to truly trust God and go wherever He had prepared for us. I had found myself laughing at the situations and places we were in because I really experienced the promises of God so practically. In Psalms 91 God says ‘If you say the Lord is my refuge and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent for He will command...