Participant Blogs

Update time out of J-Bay and my first official blog So the journey started Friday afternoon with checking in and meeting 30ish new faces and trying to remember their names. Saturday was largely spend on an amazing race like challenge in and around J-Bay, it was fun and i even got into the ocean and on a surfboard. At the moment we are still doing a lot of orientation and introductory stuff and have a lot of free time to get to know each other a bit better, but tomorrow the fun start when we are going somewhere to help...

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'm lying on the floor, staring at the white ceiling of a plastic container, the commotion stopped, the little girl that brought me to her mother left, the laughs of miscommunication turned to silence and all I hear is the footsteps of people on grew mine rocks.  Jesus what am I really doing here? I was there, next to a far pregnant mother of four staring at her as she just fell asleep from exhaustion . Only in this silence I experience a little bit of the reality being a refugee, losing your husband, not always due to the war,...

  Never again would Auckland, Maori's, games on the beach or a walk in the woods be seen the same. Not even bungee jumping or kayaking will have the same appeal. This all to thanks to our New Zealand Challenge. And what a challenge it was!   We started off with a run along the beach. We headed toward the city and completed various tasks on our way.  All along we were motivated by our own personal drill sergeant Prosch. Luckily the view was spectacular and God faithful. Along our way we found very friendly kiwi's more than willing to help...

What a blessed day here in Phuket.  We started with quiet time in the garden close to Tobi’s house.  Through scripture and the movie “Time Changer” that we watched last night, God showed us that we have become so used to sin around us, that we do not even recognize it anymore.  Respect for elders, respect for women and worst of all, respect for God has gone out the door.  Everything is okay these days, not so bad.  If it is “not so bad”, isn’t it still bad? Spiritual food… check.  Cornflakes… check.  We were off to the shopping centre for...

I cannot believe the time is already so near for us to get going! I was reading the other day in Matt 21:22!  WoW!  "If you believe, you wil receive everything that you ask in prayer."   Makes me think... We should then be very careful about what we ask, and also very specific! Imagine, I ask for God to help me to be the change in the world.  Then when He says go, I can't ask "Why?"...  But be more specific about where and how and the 'when'  is just as important.  So come on guys, have a relationship with...

It's almost unbelievable to think that a month could pass so quickly, and what an amazing experience it has been! From blikskud in PE to traveling with a luxurious bus to Transkei, we realised the beauty in Transkei realy lies in its simplicity. The simple life of the Transkei brought us back to earth and taught us what true humility is all about.

1, 2, 3 ... 109 ... 135 - this is me counting the cost of what it physically means to follow the heart of Jesus into the Amazon if I count the mosquito bites on only one half of my leg with repellent on!! We knew we arrived in the Amazon when we could feel mosquitoes bite us through our clothes before reaching the terminal! And because of the extreme heat that covers you like a thick blanket. We met with the missionaries at the YWAM base near Manaus. They live right next to the HUGE Amazon River :) They...

So this is the last country of our journey. In a sense the last stretch home. We have experienced a lot up until now and it is with mixed emotions we approach the finish line. Some of us are sad that our travels are coming to an end mixed with excitement of seeing our homeland again. Some of us are excited at the prospect of wearing new outfits. And then there are those who are excited about the full farmhouse breakfast awaiting us in Johannesburg...eggs sunny side up, no toast, lots of bacon, and a good cup of coffee. Paraguay...

Indonesia_ Bali is filled with an indefinite number of  statues everywhere, so many gods, so many burning essence sticks, so many little plates with offerings, so many temples, so many lost souls.  Isn't it easy for me now to just quote the Bible, judging them for all these man-made, dark-side inspired idols. ‎I Find myself sitting in a taxi staring out the window trying  not to make eye contact with all these immense  statues dominating the place.  The bags all around me limits my movement so all I did was  pondering on the beliefs of the world. It came to...