The Goodbye - Last Day of Camp!

Sadly, today was already our last day with the kids here at Bridges of Hope. The time flew by and the goodbye was not easy, but we ended on a good note with a trip to Retanga Junction - the local amusement park near Cape Town. We surprised the kids this morning about the last day's events and the huge smiles on their faces were priceless! We had a blast on the rides - a lot of the kids rode a roller coaster for the first time. We didn't let a little rain down our spirits either. Saying goodbye to each kid was rough as we all made strong connections and bonds...we will definetly miss everyone very much!

Last night was amazing as well, we had a special dinner (spare ribs!) and individually served each kid and then held blessing ceremonies for the boys and girls separately. Each of our team members chose a kid or two and prayed about and then wrote a blessing for each of their lives. The ceremonies were so powerful and the kids very much appreciated it and were touched. It was so awesome to see how the Spirit moved through our team to speak to each of them and bless their lives.

Summer camp pictures

More Christmas pictures

Nativity Pictures

Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas from South Africa! What better way to celebrate the birthday of our Lord here with our new friends at Bridges of Hope halfway across the world. We started off this special day singing traditional Christmas carols with the kids and then put on a Nativity play (thanks to a Barkley family tradition!) while reading the real story straight from the Bible. A handful of brave kids helped act out the different parts, and really got into it! Then we surprised each kid by giving them gifts donated by Rock Harbor, including new bathing suits, CDs, makeup and cool bags! The kids loved everything and were so thankful and appreciative. The cards written by our August team were especially well received as each kid carefully read every note with a smile on their face. Swimming and slip n' slide fun followed and we will continue the day with more celebration, including a special dinner and birthday party for Jesus later tonight!

Arrival

We just received a text message that the team arrived in Cape Town with all the luggage. Camp starts in 5 hours...

The trip begins

The whole team left for South Africa this afternoon. After a hectic morning getting all the bags (everyone was allowed three 50lbs bags) and people in cars we headed off to the airport. As they were leaving one car had a flat and we did a quick switch. Then leaving the neighborhood there was a small collision which caused a short delay but no visible damage to either car. Surprising since there was a distinct "crunch" heard in the vehicle in front of the two that collided.

After that the trip to the airport went very smoothly. A lot of (heavy) bags were moved from one location to another in a coordinated chaos of sorts. All the bags were checked in and the team headed into security after a group prayer to send the team off. The team will be flying directly to London where they will have a 6 hour layover, then another flight to Cape Town. All in all it was a very smooth trip to the airport.

The kids will be arriving for the summer camp the same day the team arrives so you may not see a lot of posts during their trip since they will be very very busy and hit the ground running at full speed. Please pray for team unity, protection, health and for the development of deep connections with the kids at the camp and people in the townships (Sweet Home, Philipe, Lower Crossroads, Samora, Franschhoek).

The December Team!

His Warriors

I was praying the other day was asking God to reveal more to me about my purpose for this trip. The word warrior kept coming to mind. The last couple of days it has stayed in my heart and I finally realized what He meant by that. We are His warriors. Africa is our battle field, and the last few months have been a battle field as well. He wants us to spread His love to everyone not just the people of Cape Town. Every single letter that each one of us sent out asking for support was sharing our love for Him, and every dollar raised was for Him. The momentum has continued to build and now here we are a few weeks out from this life changing adventure, and the enemy is mad. We are God's warriors and it's time to go in with the full coat of armor on and fight for what we believe in. We can't let the enemy cause us to lose focus on what we are here to do. Each one of us is here for a reason, and I believe that our small group is going to change the world with love. I love you all and am so on fire for this trip.
-Shannon

Ephesians 6:13-18 Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness.15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.*16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.*17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.*

Gavin & Lindsay

Gavin & Lindsay…

Gavin is a kindergartener who somehow heard about Bridges of Hope ministry to orphans and decided on his own that he wanted to do something. He decided to carve little crosses out of wood and sell them, giving all of the proceeds to BOH. His first gift to BOH was $50 and he continues to make the crosses and sell them one by one. When we were trying to decide what we could give the kids to always remind them that they are the precious sons and daughters of the King we thought of these crosses. We asked Gavin if he would be willing to make 40 crosses (of course we will buy them for the going rate) with six weeks time to accomplish this, he eagerly said yes and started carving away. Each one of these kids will get a hand carved cross from Gavin.

Lindsay is the youngest member of our team at 8, but quite possibly has the biggest heart of all. Every time we go to her house (where we meet for training) I hear her practicing Christmas songs on the piano so she can play for the kids at camp. As most of you know, fundraising is a required aspect for all those who participate in this mission. Lindsay, along with some friends, decided to do a neighborhood bake sale to raise money for the kids, they made $134!!! Lindsay asked if that money could go towards the crafts for the kids to do during free time… how precious!

Two kids who have greatly inspired me.

-Heather

Barcelona Soccer Club supports Bridges Of Hope

Taylor and Hailey Frick and their soccer teams collected all of this soccer gear over the summer.

Hailey

Taylor
They collected it to donate to Bridges Of Hope and the townships where they work in South Africa. They both play for BFC (Barcelona Football Club) in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. They've seen and heard the stories of the students at the academy and wanted to do whatever they could to help. Knowing that soccer is so popular in Africa they started to gather gear as donations. Most of the gear is new and includes two full sets of team uniforms, lots of cleats, shin guards and sweat outfits.

Watts Service Trip

The December team served in Watts together yesterday. It was an opportunity to give the staff at Powerhouse Church an extra helping hand for the weekend. We split into three groups. One group helped in the Sunday school with the kids.

Another group lead worship and prepared the congregation for Pastor Todd's message.



The other group cooked a meal for the congregation to eat after services. It was an amazing time to bond as a team and spend some quality fellowship time with our brothers and sisters in Watts.

We also did some driving to pick up members in the community and one group went out into the local community on foot to tell the neighborhood about the service and the meal. We know there was at least one new visitor to the church from that walk.

Overall, Watts is an amazing place with a great need in our own community. I highly recommend a visit and a service trip to Powerhouse Church.

Pictures from August Trip

Aaron Young posted a good collection of the photos that were taken from our summer trip to South Africa.
Enjoy.

Sweet Home Prayer Requests

Please pray for some of the committee members in Sweet Home as they face the following problems:

Noluthando is sick, which has delayed the start of the sewing project.

Forrest was arrested over the weekend, but was released because there were no grounds for his arrest.

Thandokazi is having a problem with the surgery she had three years ago, when her daughter was born.

Ntombi has shingles.

News from Sweet Home

I found out some info on Sweet Home in our committee meeting yesterday that I thought I would update you guys on so you could be praying and because I know you guys have been praying so i thought you might want to hear some of the good news. Share this with the rest of your team as you see fit.

*The Committee Mamas are doing a clothing sale this Saturday in Sweet Home with all the clothes you guys donated to make money to start their sewing business. Pray that it's protected, things don't get stolen, everyone is honest, etc. Pray also that they would make a sound plan with the money to be able to finance their sewing project. Chase and I are facilitating a lesson today on planning around an objective to help them reach their goal.

*There is a new CHE named Princess who is very interested in working with Ntombi on the AA group. They are going to an AA meeting this Friday to check it out.

*Lucas (the Rasta guy) is doing very well. Sisanda said he is coming to EVERY CHE meeting and seems to be sobering up and wanting to be part of the recovery group.

*Forest is taking a more active interest in CHE, he's working with Sisanda to get an NPO # for them so they can be eligible to receive grant money from the government for their work.

I hope you guys are well. Thanks for your investments into the work in Sweet Home. We miss you guys!

Chase & Lisa

Alan's Insights

Among other things, God has given me a deeper understanding that poverty is mostly a breakdown or a lack of communication. I had heard this statement before and it sounded correct but now I really get it. Certainly, lack of money or knowledge is not the problem. As Christians and heirs of Gods kingdom we have all the wealth and knowledge and wisdom available to us through the Holy Spirit.

Furthermore, we are told that as Gods children we have the authority to work and make requests on Gods behalf and, as Aaron so eloquently preached, to be expectant of results as long as our prayers are in line with Gods good and perfect and just will. After all working with those who are viewed as impoverished is not a "nice thing to do" nor is it a request. In fact we are commanded to be agents of justice to the poor and oppressed. Surely God would not withhold any use of His resources in pursuit of social justice.

Therefore, lack of material resources are not the cause of the living conditions in Sweet Home and other townships. Nor is it the cause of the AIDS pandemic. Rather its lack of communication. Communication between religious denominations, between ministries, between Christians and between humans.

I really was encouraged by the wisdom of the CHE's in Sweet Home and Philippi. A great sense of hope came over me when we were able to facilitate honest and truthful discussions between the CHE's. I was reminded that it was not our burden to "make things happen" for Sweet Home. God and the community will take care of that.

However, my responsibility is to be available to use my gifts. In this case, to orchestrate ways to break down barriers of communication between God and His people (my brothers and sisters) and hopefully to disciple them in ways that will lead them into personal relationships with our father in heaven... and so on.

Finally, this revelation has caused me to consider how often God must be "frustrated" (I don't really think God gets frustrated) with me for my willingness to settle for so much less than He is willing to offer. He sees so clearly what I can not see, or refuse to see, because of my self will. To see the light go on in someones eyes when they realize this truth is a blessing that God gave me while working with CHE's in Sweet Home. I believe its all about communication.

Anyway ill stop rambling on. I hope this is what you were looking for Wood. It certainly helped me to write it out.

Peace out,
Alan

Gavin's Story

We received this letter from Dennis with Bridges Of Hope. The new academy building was making great progress while where were there and I know that the funds are not yet available to complete it. If you would like to help a great cause and about 40 orphans from the Cape Flats townships where we were working please use the link below. The new building will house proper school rooms and free up the other buildings for more housing. Gavin's parents are members of ROCKHarbor church.

Dear Friends,I received an amazing story of a 5 year old boy from Southern California who is using his creative abilities to help the children at Bridges Academy Orphan Boarding School. I asked his permission to share it with you, as I thought it might encourage your faith as it has mine!

Gavin's Gift

Five year old Gavin woke up the other day and said that he decided to use his scrap wood pile to make something to give away for donations, in order to raise money to help African kids.

He and his mother, Laurel, went into their garage that morning and began tinkering, eventually Gavin began chiseling small scraps of wood into crosses (check out the picture of him hard at work above). He decided to focus on pocket crosses. His mother taught him how to sand the rough edges off and eventually, he was making each one all by himself! Laurel said, "It was quite an achievement." He gave some of the crosses away and by the end of the day, he had received $50.00 in donations! Gavin is sending crosses to the students at Bridges Academy as well!

I was so inspired by Gavin's heart and creativity that I thought I'd pass the story along. I asked him what he thought of challenging others to match his $50 so that his generosity could be multiplied. He agreed. This is reminiscent of the little boy offering his loaves and fishes to Jesus and the way they were multiplied to feed thousands.

Let's share this challenge with our friends and family members and see if we can't bring in everything we need to complete the Academy building project (see construction photo above right) and multiply the number of children whose lives will be transformed at Bridges Academy (see Bridges Academy students above left).

To give securely online, visit this webpage and click on the "click here" link:http://www.bridgesworldwide.org/page.php/27

100% of your gift will go toward the Building Fund at Bridges Academy, Orphan Boarding School and will make a difference in the lives of orphans now and for generations to come!

Please feel free to forward this email to everyone you know and use the power of the internet for something really good!

Dennis Wadley
Bridges of Hope International

Returned Home

It was an amazing trip with a great team. We will be posting stories over the coming weeks as we each process the events that were so special to each and every one of us. Please continue to check back here periodically to hear all about the trip. The team will be meeting again on Sunday August 24th to come together and discuss the difficulties and triumphs of returning to Orange County.

If you know someone on the trip, please consider asking them a few of these questions if you are not sure where to start. You will find the question "How was your trip?" very difficult to answer as there is just so much to tell and the feelings run very very deep. Africa is a very special place.

• Share with me about one experience you had in South Africa that touched your heart.
• Tell me about one person who affected your understanding of love, ministry, joy in suffering, etc.
• Are there any symbols that represent the trip in your mind?
• How did God reveal Himself to you during this trip?
• How are you different as a result of this experience?

Day 7

It's been a few days but we've got some updates from those that have taught at the Academy and those Team Members who have been over to Sweet Home.

TOWNSHIP VISITS

Today Monica, Carla, Matt, Nicole and Alan went to Sweet Home to discuss with the Community Health Evangelists (CHEs) about Alcohol and Drug Abuse. We discussed the 12 Steps To Recovery followed by Scripture and biblical references. The CHE's could relate to the problems that arise from addictions and helped talk through the cultural differences to make the program relevant for this community. During the afternoon alcohol awareness classes were taught. The CHE's were shown graphic pictures of the effects of alcoholism on your body.This information will then be passed on to the Sweet Home Community. The CHE's were inspired by the classes and the discussions that ensued and were ready to learn more about how to start an Alcohol Awareness Program.

Wood, Aaron and Harrison went into the neighboring community of Philippi to update and repair computers at St. Paul's Church. They were also able to attend a After School Program (ASP) graduation for junior high students. They were all amazed by the joy expressed by the students during the ceremony.

BRIDGES OF HOPE ACADEMY

Those Team members who were not in the Townships spent the day leading classes for the students. Classes were taught on Prayer journal writing, music appreciation, creating and solving mysteries, minerals and rocks of South Africa, math and English. The students have enjoyed a break from their regular classes and learning some cool stuff!

After school we held a Carnival for the students. We set up a face painting station along with several games with prizes and the students had a blast!


The Team has been working really hard with classes and other smaller projects at the Academy but do feel overwhelmed by the needs of those within Sweet Home. We all know that God is doing great things there but feel helpless at times.

With many blessings and love,

Claire and Team South Africa :)

Greetings from South Africa

Greetings from South Africa!!!

After about 30 hours of travel (and one missed flight!) we made it!! We actually go to the Academy at around midnight on Saturday, August 2. Everyone was in great spirits eventhough we were all pretty tired.

After a good night's sleep, Sunday started off by having breakfast with the Academy students and then off to church. The worship inspired everyone as the Academy students were very enthusiastic in their praises. After church we met with Jenny and Ted (staff members at Bridges) and then had some time to hang out with the Academy students. Harrison joined in on a pickup basketball game, Jon G played pool while Keira, Claire and Rachel played some foosball. It was a great way to get to know the students before getting in the classroom with them.

The highlight of the day was the brais (barbeque in Afrikaans) and the cultural show the students put on for us. The brais consisted of some chicken feet, ostrich and lamb stew, and African salad. The challenge for most of the team was eating a chicken foot, the Academy students LOVED them, not so much for the Team but it is ALL part of the experience.
Tomorrow (Monday) the Team along with some staff members from the Academy and Sweet Home will be heading over to Cape Town and out to Robben Island. Robben Island held many prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, during the years of apartheid. It will be a great opportunity for further Team bonding!!

Everyone's health is well but do ask that you continue praying for good health. As our schedule becomes busier over the next few days you won't be hearing from us but as soon as time allows we will send out an update!

With much love and many blessings!!!--Claire

Leaving in 4 hours

To say the last few weeks have been hectic would be an understatement. I know everyone has been trying to tie up loose ends and we have all been in constant communication and prayer. It is hard to believe we leave in a few short hours. I wanted to enter a quick blog entry to at least set some expectations for the blog and talk a little about what we will be doing.

The blog will probably not be updated more than a few times over the next two weeks. We tend to get very busy and it is actually better for the team to stay focused on the trip rather than constant communication with home. We will fully update the blog when we return so check back again about a week after the trip to read the details.

Last summer we searched for a new organization to work with and landed with Bridges Of Hope outside Cape Town. This will be our first team with this new partnership.

ROCKHarbor has adopted Sweet Home, one of the poorest places I have ever been and a place with zero opportunity for residents. Bridges Of Hope has been working for the past five years in a neighboring community called Phillipe and the changes are miraculous. Their goal is to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of the community by raising up and listening to leaders in that community. Once the leaders have identified the needs we work on the top needs until that top need changes. It is a drastic change from the normal American/Western solution where we come into a community and give them something they may or may not need, like a well, a sewage system, a road or a house. It is also different in that it is mostly development with relief given only when absolutely necessary. They help the community meet the felt needs, not simply meet those needs for the community. This is done through training, micro-lending or just coming along side and helping to solve the biggest problems these communities face.

This is such a simple change, but has made a profound difference in the behavior in both the community residents and we who are serving that community. It is an amazing process and we are excited to see the changes in Sweet Home over the coming years.

After about two years the top need in Phillipe became orphans. What could anyone possibly do to help the 1.2 million children that are orphaned due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa every year? Many of those orphans are in the cape flats area where Phillipe and Sweet Home are located.

The South African government has been steadily moving away from state run orphanages. They are very difficult places. Bridges had purchased some amazing land near Franschoek in a wind producing area that is like Napa Valley. They had been running retreats for the leaders and residents in Phillipe. They came upon the idea of creating a boarding school. In South Africa, the elite attend boarding schools. Except this one would be populated with orphans from Cape Flats. They would still have to return to the township when school was out, but this was a great opportunity for a top knotch education and the added benefit of taking that knowledge back into the township.

We have been given the opportunity to teach over 30 classes at the Academy over the next two weeks. Everyone will be teaching something and most are on the gifts each person has been given. From math to computers, to business, to life lessons. Everyone has been working extremely hard to come up with suitable coursework.

We have also split our team into three groups. The childrens ministry will be running a VBS (Vacation Bible School) in Sweet Home. The Sweet Home team will be running an alcohol awareness and recovery training and the Academy team will be running an after school program and helping the students put on a play (High School Musical).

We have a huge schedule in front of us and have been preparing very hard over the past six months. We are all looking forward to working in this new ministry. Please pray for team unity, safety and strength as we work in South Africa over the next two weeks.

December Trip Interviews

The core team, including the leaders leaving this Friday, have been interviewing applicants for the December 2008 trip to Cape Town. It might seem strange to be adding an extra level of stress on top of the last week before our summer trip, but the schedule for ROCKHarbor requires that the first training occur while the summer trip is in Cape Town, August 10.

As usual we have very few slots and many great applicants. It looks like we are going to have another amazing team. We will have the final team decided by Friday and notifications to be complete by Friday.

Final Training

We had our final training today. We went over the last minute details and questions and packed our second bags full of items we will need for the different areas where we will be working and filled the rest with donations. Each bag can weigh up to 50 pounds and we plan to fill every ounce.

We also spent some more time planning in our three sub-groups: academy after school program, childrens/vbs and sweet home. Each team has a lot of different activities and ideas planned during our trip. During this time everyone will also be teaching at the academy on everything from math, to geology, to business to life skills. We have been given a great opportunity for each of us to share our skills with the young minds at the academy.

Everyone has been under a lot of stress and we could use a lot of extra prayer during this final week. This is common for our teams going to Africa, it always seems to add an extra layer of crazy things that happen at the last minute.

Bridges Academy Students

Dennis from Bridges Of Hope sent a picture of all the Academy Students today. We will be working closely with the Academy and all of these students.


Last summer when we visited this was an empty field which is now a soccer field. It will be exciting to see all the changes over the past year.

December Trip Training Dates

Here are the training dates for the December trip.

Sunday August 10
Sunday August 31
Sunday September 14
Sunday September 28
Sunday October 12
Sunday October 26
Sunday November 9
Friday December 14

Interviews will be going on over the next two weeks and the team needs to be decided before August 1 when the Summer trip leaves.

Fundraising story

Fund raising for Africa is always full of amazing stories. It is always hard to ask friends and family for money, but it is also about a lot more than just money. We really want to create partnerships where others can participate in our trips bringing more awareness and prayer where it is desperately needed. That said, we are always amazed to find see the funds come in when we need it most and least expect it.

Aaron has been struggling with fund raising and told a story of what can only be God's hand. Carla had been looking for photographs for a client for months and after much frustration decided to ask Aaron (our trip photographer) if he could take some pictures for the client. He is passionate about photography and has used his skills for the past few years with the ROCKHarbor Mexico team. The client loved the pictures and today he received a check that will cover the remainder of his fund raising for the Africa trip. This also allowed/forced him to get a business license and sellers permit which could be the start of a whole new career. Great work Aaron we all think your photography is amazing and are anxious to see where this new opportunity leads.

Refuge and Interviews

The Sweet Home CHE committee has asked us to teach classes on Alcohol and Drug Abuse recovery. A number of people have been attending ROCKHarbor Refuge to learn about 12 step. We have also been working with the Refuge leaders to learn how to teach the 12 step program.

Interviews for the December trip started tonight. The first training will include all of ROCKHarbor's winter teams and happen while the August trip is in South Africa. Please pray that another amazing team is chosen for the December trip. We will be posting the December trip training dates soon.

Training #7

We had our final training before the packing meeting. We went over a lot of final logistics and heard some more testimonies. We also spent some time in our smaller teams to do more planning for each of our areas. The three teams include The Academy After School events, Sweet Home, and Children's ministry. We also did a personality test and found that the team is very well balanced in terms of personality types. These last few weeks are very stressful for everyone and a lot is going on. Please pray to keep everyone safe and free from distractions. These last few weeks are always the toughest on people.

Women's Night

The women on the trip all went to Palm Desert/Indian Wells for the night. Lynne hosted everyone at her home. The hot weather was a great chance to sit by the pool and have some fun in the sun.

Spiritual and Physical Needs

During the last training I read a Franklin Graham quote and a few people asked if I could send it to them. I also decided to post it here since it is so relevant to the work we are doing.

If you only see the physical needs, you will become a humanitarian. If you only see his mental need, you will become an educator. If you only see his political oppression, you will become a revolutionary or a politician. And if you only see his spiritual needs, you will become a religionist. It is seeing the whole man, with a strong emphasis on the spiritual, when you become a Christian witness, a missionary, and evangelist and communicator of God's words.
Franklin Graham at Amsterdam '83

Training #6

We held our sixth training today. Only two more trainings until we leave and one of those is a packing meeting. The trip is really getting close now.

We spent some time with a few Bridges of Hope exercises on spiritual and physical needs and the differences between relief and development.

One of the topics we covered was Conflict Resolution. We split into smaller groups and each group performed a short skit on the right way and wrong way to handle conflict. The leaders were unsure if this was even going to work and it turned out to be one of the best exercises we have done so far. Everyone came up with hilarious skits and had a great time with it.

Our next memory verse is Colossians 3:12-14

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and
dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness
and patience. Bear with each other and
forgive whatever grievances you may have
against on another. Forgive as the Lord
forgave you. And over all these virtues put on
love which binds them all together in perfect
unity.
Colossians 3:12-14

Angels Game

The guys spent the evening tonight at the Angels game. Another opportunity to get to know each other better and a good excuse to get out. The Angels played the Atlanta braves.

Game Night

Claire and Lailanie hosted a game night. About half the team showed up to play various board games and have some general fun.

Training #5 - Watts Service Trip

Our team served in Watts today with Powerhouse church. Powerhouse is a new church in Watts and has been in partnership with ROCKHarbor. We split our team into three groups and helped lead worship, cooked a meal for everyone at the church, and served in children's ministry. It was an amazing experience that was much like we have seen on our previous trips to Africa in that you never really know what you are going to be doing until you get there. One team ventured out into the local neighborhood to invite people to the church service.

These service trips are a great way to see if everyone works together well. This was a very long and hard day and I have to say this is one of the best teams I have seen. We are really looking forward to see what God has in store for this team in Africa.

Aaron took a lot of great photos and has a gallery/blog where you can see them.

Bridges Of Hope launches new website

We just learned that Bridges of Hope launched their new website.

http://www.bridgesworldwide.org

The mailing list system has also undergone a change over so if you are no longer receiving the weekly or daily updates you should visit the site to re-signup for the the e-mail lists. Go to the website and click on the interact button. From there you can choose the prayer letter sign up or newsletter sign up button. Enter your email and expect an email asking you to confirm momentarily. Just click the link in the response and you are signed up!

Prayer Update from Sweethome

We received a note, some pictures and a prayer request from Sweet Home. The first picture is of Chase (we think) helping in the second picture Thozamile clean up his house which was in dire condition.

Dear RH Team,
Here is a prayer update and some pictures from Chase and Lisa Armour, our staff liaisons to Sweet Home.

Thanks for praying...I am teaching on prayer this weekend and am once again incredibly convinced by the Word that it is 100% essential to living the Christian life and ministering effectively! Thozamile's situation will not change without spiritual intervention, so please join with your SH leaders in prayer for him!

Chase (we think) helping clean

Thozamile

Bridges Academy - Learners

Dennis sent the picture our team took with him at our May 4 training to the Academy and here is the response.

What a great idea. It would be good to have a photo of all the teams coming as we can put them on display to help us remember to pray for them. I attach our mob!!

Here is the "mob" we will be working with in August.

Sweet Home CHE trainnig begins today

News from Dennis with Bridges Of Hope.

Tuesday, May 20: Sweet Home CHE Training Begins

Praise God that 31 people have signed up to be trained as CHE's in Sweet Home! Pray for the first training this week. Topics: Spiritual: Grace and Physical: Balanced Diet. Please pray for Vatiswa Mposi, one of our CHE committee members

Training 4 - The Kitchen Sink

We met for our fourth training. I'm calling this The Kitchen Sink because of how much we covered. We learned two children's songs, shared all the facts we gathered on apartheid, learned how to create a defining moment and a testimony, heard three defining moments, a devotional on Spiritual warfare, we tested each other on our memory verses, talked about fund raising ideas, broke up into our three sub-teams (Bridges Academy, Sweet Home and Children's) to plan, and we talked about our next training which is a trip to Watts on June 1. Over all it was a lot to cover and the team is really beginning to gel. It seems like everyone is on fire!

In case someone from Africa is reading this we should clarify what "on fire" means because I do remember a communication mix up when we were in Africa on a previous trip. It does not mean literally "on fire", it means excited, God's love burning inside, exuberant, ready to go like nothing can stop us.

Next Memory Verse - Ephesians 2:10

We have our next memory verse.

For we are God's workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

I also created a Word By Word version of this which you can download here.

Tragedy: Pray for Vuyo our person of piece in Sweet Home

We've been praying for Vuyo (his name means Joy) our person of piece and champion in Sweet Home. He recently lost his 13 year old son in an accident which caused an asthma attack. Please pray for their family as they grieve this terrible loss. For those that don't know Joy, here is a one of our favorite pictures from our trip last July. Joy took us into Sweet home where we visited a Creche (preschool). He started playing "Fire On The Mountain" with all the kids who were chasing him around the area. It was an amazing day and he has a great spirit.

Training 3: Dennis Wadley

Dennis Wadley from Bridges Of Hope came to our training today. He talked about organization and what is going on where we will be serving in August. It was a great training in that it gave us a much better understanding of the development process and how we will be working at the Academy and in Sweet Home.

Here is a picture of the team with Dennis.

Soccer Anyone?

I think we need to practice some soccer before we go. Here is a photo of the Academy boys beating the American visitors last week.


When we visited last summer this soccer field was simple farm land. Amazing changes are still in progress.

Luke 18:7-8

Hi Everyone! I came across these verses earlier today & they seemed really applicable to the film we watched on Sunday & some of our discussion. Thought I'd share it w/ you all. Hope everyone's having a great week!

-Matt

"And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?"
Luke 18:7-8

Memory verses

Here are the two new memory verses for the next training.

Be self-controlled and alert.
Your enemy the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion looking
for someone to devour. Resist him,
standing firm in the faith, because
you know that your brothers
throughout the world are
undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
1 Peter 5:8-9

Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you. Come near to God and he
will come near to you.
James 4:7-8

I've created Word By Word versions of these.
1 Peter 5:8-9
James 4:7-8
If it works for you and you want a free license for Word By Word simply send me an e-mail.

Bridges of Hope mailing list

As we discussed in training on Sunday, there is a very informative weekly and daily e-mail list that Dennis sends out. Please sign up for it here.

http://www.bridges-of-hope.org/get-connected.php

Training #2

We had our second training this weekend. We spent more time getting to know everyone, travel logistics, and general preparation. We also watched the movie Dear Francis which is always hard to watch even if you've seen it a few times, but it is also full of hope. So Africa. It mirrors closely our previous trips to Namibia and I'm sure we will be in similar situations with our future trips to Sweet Home.

We also finally took a team photo.

Memorization Verse

Don't forget our memory verse needed for the next (and future) meeting(s).

A bruised reed He will not break,
and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.
In faithfulness He will bring forth justice;
He will not falter or be discouraged
till He has establishes justice on the earth.
in his law the islands will put their hope.
Isiah 42:3-4

A few years ago I wrote a quick little application called Word By Word to help in verse memorization. It simply hides the text while you press the right and down arrow keys exposing the verse as you go. You can try it for free, if you like it and want a free copy, simply send me (Wood) an e-mail and I'll get you a free serial number.
Here is the download

http://www.wordbyword.info/downloads.html
Here is the Isiah verse already typed in for you.
http://www.wordbyword.info/pub/isiah42-3-4.wbw

Community Health Evangalist - CHE

We've mentioned the Community Health Evangelist (CHEs) that have been raised up in Sweet Home over the past few months and I wanted to try and give more information on CHEs and the process. This has been explained to me before, but it is still a deep subject and I don't always get it right.

We were introduced to this process through Bridges Of Hope who was introduced to it through Medical Ambassadors. You can find more information at http://www.lifewind.org/movement_overview.php or about the organization that started the CHE movement at http://www.medicalambassadors.com.

Training 1: Meet and Greet!

The excitement and anticipation was a bit overwhelming as a hundred or so people gathered outside The Lab on Sunday, March 16. Each person anxiously finding the country that God had led them to and picking up a folder filled with important information regarding preparing for the journey ahead of us.

After an hour of an overview of what is expected of us, it was time, time to meet the 20 or so people that we will be getting to know and serving alongside with during our mission to South Africa. Walking into Minilab 4 (I think) we were met by our “fearless” Leader Team. Their excitement for seeing us again, many for the first time, since our interviews, was contagious. There was definite electricity that filled the air as we all hugged and made introductions; a little awkwardness was also present as this was our first time meeting eachother.

This awkwardness was quickly extinguished as we got down to the business of getting to know one another. Now I can honestly say that “I never” thought I NEVER could be so difficult but I think with all the excitement we had for the journey ahead our intelligence became a little cloudy (only slightly ;) ) As we all scrambled and looked to each other to see if we were actually playing the game correctly I realized that the chaos and commotion that ensued from the game would not last long, as God revealed through our leaders how they felt led to choose each one of the team members and purposefully put each one of us here for the gifts we currently have and even those that are going to be built up within us during this journey.

I praise God for the work He has done with the Leaders in putting this team together, for the commitment that each Leader has for Africa and for the faith they have in each team member to be a light for the Lord in South Africa. I think I speak for all the team members in saying WE ARE EXCITED!!!! WE ARE THE LABORERS THAT ARE TO BE SENT OUT INTO HIS HARVEST!!!! His harvest in South Africa – who wouldn’t be excited about that!!!!

-- Claire

Training Dates

Here are the team training dates.

March 16, leaders:2-6, team:3-6
April 6, 11-2
May 4, 11-2
May 18, 11-2
June 1, 8:30-2:30
June 22, 11-2
July 13, 11-2
July 27, 11-2

August Team Selected

The team for the August trip was selected. We had amazing candidates and felt blessed to have such strength, but we also had to turn away some amazing candidates as well. We think God has truly chosen this team and we are looking forward to training over the coming months and our first team trip to work with Bridges Of Hope in Cape Town, South Africa. Specifically in the Cape Flats township of Sweet Home.

Leaders:
Monica Harter
Lailanie Cruz
Kristy Blankenship
Alan Freedman
Wood Harter

Members
Matt Andre
Claire Coyne
Anessa Freedman
Harrison Freedman
Nicole Gallaher
Carla Gates
Jonathan Guinta
Jonathan Harrison
Keira Kirby
Rachel Luigs
Kat Reese
Amanda Young
Aaron Young

Required Vaccinations

The best place to get vaccinations is the Orange County Health Care Clinic. Here is a document with all the information on travel vaccinations. Call early as you will require an appointment and they sometimes require a booking a month in advance.

Travelers Clinic in Fountain Valley is a great doctor that specializes in travel vaccinations.

Here is the CDC list of required vaccinations from their website.

Vaccination or Disease	Recommendations or Requirements for Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Routine	Recommended if you are not up-to-date with routine shots such as, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, etc.
Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG)	Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in countries with an intermediate or high level of hepatitis A virus infection where exposure might occur through food or water. Cases of travel-related hepatitis A can also occur in travelers to developing countries with "standard" tourist itineraries, accommodations, and food consumption behaviors.
Hepatitis B	Recommended for all unvaccinated persons traveling to or working in countries with intermediate to high levels of endemic HBV transmission (see map) and who might be exposed to blood or body fluids, have sexual contact with the local population, or be exposed through medical treatment, such as for an accident, and for all adults requesting protection from HBV infection.
Typhoid	Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in Southern Africa, especially if visiting smaller cities, villages, or rural areas and staying with friends or relatives where exposure might occur through food or water.
Rabies	Recommended for travelers spending a lot of time outdoors, especially in rural areas, involved in activities such as bicycling, camping, hiking, or work. Also, children are considered at higher risk because they tend to play with animals and may not report bites.
Polio	Recommended for adult travelers who have received a primary series with either inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) or oral polio vaccine (OPV). They should receive another dose of IPV before departure.
Malaria	We will not require Malaria medication for the Cape Town trip. If you are planning other travels, there is a malaria advisory for other parts of South Africa. If you will be visiting a malaria risk area in South Africa, you will need to take one of the following antimalarial drugs: atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline, or mefloquine (primaquine in special circumstances and only after G6PD testing). Note: ROCKHarbor does not allow the user of Mefloquine on missions trips. There have been incidents in the past with side effects. Note: Chloroquine is NOT an effective antimalarial drug in South Africa and should not be taken to prevent malaria in this region. Malaria risk area in South Africa: Risk exists in the low-altitude areas of the Mpumalanga Province, Northern Province (Limpopo), and northeastern Kwa- Zulu-Natal as far south as the Tugela River. Risk in Kruger National Park.

Applications are in

Applications were due this past weekend and we have already had a few interviews to build the next RockHarbor South Africa team. I'm sure we will be very busy with interviews over the next few weeks getting a team chosen for the August trip.

Sweet Home Committee Training

The Sweet Home committee continues their training and we received this picture of their training event from Bridges Of Hope. This picture was taken during last week's lesson on Jesus Healing the Paralytic. Lulama (on the right) is the director for Bridges Of Hope in the Cape Flats area. We met her on our scouting trip when we toured the amazing church that was built in Phillipe. Phillipe is a township much like Sweet Home, but has a much longer history with Bridges of Hope. I believe this picture was taken in the building adjacent to the church in Phillipe.

Sweet Home Committee Selected

This is the new committee that has been selected in Sweet Home! They will be trained to oversee the Community Transformation work there over the next few months and it is critical that they grasp the fullness of the task they are being equipped for, so please keep them in your prayers as they begin their training. They are meeting in a shipping container for now.