USC Quarterback Shares His Experiences at Bridges Academy

Matt was on the December trip with his family and his story was written up yesterday.

Check out this website for the whole story...
http://www.petecarroll.com/index.cfm/pk/view/cd/NAA/cdid/412974/pid/400025

Video from summer trip

Aaron made an amazing video from the summer trip and sent it around today. Powerful and amazing. Thanks, Aaron.

http://vimeo.com/2988811

July 2009 team signups

We are currently accepting applications for a trip in the summer.

Applications are due by February 1 and can be picked up at ROCKHarbor.

• Trip Dates:: July 24th - August 9th
• Approximate trip cost: $3500. You will be responsible for raising personal support in this amount through sending support letters and other creative ideas you come up with. The Leadership team will help you in the process and track your progress throughout our training period.
• $400 non-refundable deposit is due upon being invited to go on the team
• The trip will consist of, but not limited to, two main areas of ministry:
• Community development in our adopted township called Sweet Home where we will teach spiritual, health, and business lessons with local leaders, do home visits and hold a VBS
• Ministering to orphaned youth at an Academy through teaching academic classes, helping with homework, participating in sports and recreational activities, and building relationships
• Training Dates & Times:
• Sunday, March 8th
• Sunday, March 22 (Team Social)
  
• Sunday, April 5
• Sunday, April 19
• Sunday, May 17
• Sunday, June 7
• Friday, June 19 (Team Social)
• Sunday, June 28
• Sunday, May 3 (Serve day-8:30-3:00pm) Sunday, July 19

*All training sessions are mandatory and will take place from 11:00am to 2:00pm unless otherwise noted. Team social times are to be announced. Please take a look at every date and note that this is a very big time commitment, in and out of trainings.

For more information, stop by the information tables after church, or send us an e-mail to the contact listed at the right of this page.

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