HPCC Africa Love

Today in Africa

2011-08-15T22:44:00.000-07:00

Today, we are going to the Care Center. And we are going to visit Dumasani. Please pray for him today, as he has a tough job. He is taking 3 children to a social worker today. Three children are in a very awful situation at their home. He had tears in his eyes as he explained their situation to us. He is a man who defines what it means for a heart to be broken by the things that break God's own heart.

Today, the weather is beautiful. It has been unseasonably cold and rainy since we got here. At some of the places we have visited, the kids are freezing but still running around in bare feet.

Yesterday, we visited the Khula creche, about an hour away, up into the hills. There are no jobs in this area at all, and most of the people live in poverty. AIDS afflicts about 70 percent of the population. But there is hope because they have put in a clinic and the qualifications to recieve the drugs has improved.

There is a woman called Gogo (grandma) who gave all her land for this creche. We were invited into her cooking hut, where she had a fire in the middle of the room. We were so blessed and humbled by this humble generous woman. We bought some baskets that she made, and she shed tears. I can not wait to show you her picture.

Thank for your love and support. Continue to prayer for us as we continue on this journey.

Blessings from the girls!

So far...

2011-08-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

Before I left for on this mission trip, I kept dreading the very thought of 30 something hours of traveling. I whined about it, prayed about it, asked people to pray about it for me. The thought of being on a plane that long seems like a really good reason NOT to go on a mission trip to Africa. And all along, I kept focusing on that number, 30 hours, I just have to last 30 hours.

We flew from Sea Tac to New York, then we had a layover at JFK. We then got on the long plane ride, from JFK to Johannesberg. That flight was 16 hours. When we got to Joberg, we had to "fetch" (that's African speak for "get") all our luggage, hurry through customs, and run to the next check in. We had a very short amount of time to do this. We were very tired and worn out, but had to rush to catch our next flight to Durban. Well, we didn't make and we missed our plane. And, as it turns out, Durban was playing Australia in a big soccer match, that very day, so there was no way to just get on the next flight. They did find space for all of us on a 3:00 flight. The blessing was that we didn't have to buy new tickets, as we found out another mission team had to do recently.

We were standing around, wondering what to do with ourselves for this new 5 hour layover. I was stressed, tired, dirty, sore, impatient, not feeling the love at all. And right then, it hit me. We hadn't prayed in a long time. I mentioned that fact, and Shannon decided it was a great time to pray. So our little group stood there, in the middle of the huge Joberg airport, held hands and prayed. Every single one of us prayed too. And when we were finished, I was rejuvinated, calm and centered, remembering that God was in control.

We spent the whole day today with kids. In the morning, we went out to see Dumasani at the feeding program. It's unseasonably cold here right now, and most of the kids were freezing. But that didn't dampen their enthusiasm for worshipping God. Some were barefoot, some without jackets, little girls with bare legs under skirts, teeth chattering, but eager to worship.

We then visited an orphanage outside of town. As soon as we got out of the car, kids were running to us, hugging, welcoming, holding our hands, leading us inside. We played with them, cuddled the babies, gave them treats and treat bags. And there was so much joy in such simple things.

In Him,
Kelly

What we will do for the children

2011-08-01T16:54:00.000-07:00

2011-07-31T19:22:00.000-07:00

Our team saying is: Blessed are the flexible for they shall bend.

T-14 Days

2011-07-26T11:29:00.001-07:00

This is more of the test for remote posting than a count-down timer. We are meeting almost weekly & working on last minute details. Thanks to Adrian for teaching us the song moves. Now we need to practice & remember those moves.

Hope this works.

The Great Commission

2011-07-10T19:25:00.000-07:00

The doubts had started to creep in, little by little. I even started asking myself questions of the "why am I going" variety. Since I've been on a mission trip before, I know that these questions and doubts are common and normal. Naysayers are in abundance, talking about poverty and need here in the U.S.. And yes, there's no doubt that there's a lot of need. I see it when I go to the mission in Tacoma. I see it in my neighbors, forced to sell homes and move in with family. Yes, the need is great.

A few lines from a song on the radio caught my attention last week. I've heard the song many times. But this was the first time these few lines spoke to me;

This world is not my home

It's got nothing for me

only leaves me with emptiness

and tears in my eyes.

There's no doubt that this world is very broken. That leaves us one place to look, and that is up. Fix our eyes on God, on his plan, on the Great Commission. What is the Great Commission? It can be found in Matthew 28:18-20. It reads;

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the nae of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded of you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

What I find so significant is the fact that this was Jesus last instructions to his disciples; Go. So, whether it's next door or half way around the world, we are instructed to go. And as we obey, we get our comfort from the knowledge that Jesus is always with us. Very comforting indeed.