Team Retreat

We recently had our team retreat at Blake and Drew's cabin in Blue Ridge, GA. We had an amazing time! From sharing testimonies by a waterfall, to cooking smores over a fire pit, our team continued to grow and bond together. The Lord is certainly at work right now as we prepare to leave for Cape Town on May 13th. We have raised more money than we were required to raise which is an enormous blessing. God truly rocks! I look forward to seeing what God has in store for us as we travel across the world to serve Him.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

One month and counting...

I thought I would share a few words about why I want to be a part of this trip.

For me, I feel a burden for Africa. A couple of years ago I spent some time in Kenya. Something about that trip changed me and for some reason, it’s impossible for me not to “do something” about it. It’s one thing when you see those commercials asking you to sponsor children in poverty, but it’s totally different when the faces are looking you in the eye and you can't switch the channel.

South Africa is much different than Kenya, but their needs are just as important. With a high unemployment rate (as in 35%) Aids and high crime a part of many people’s daily lives and the lingering affects of apartheid, we are hoping that God will use our team to help bring healing and encouragement to the people there; to bring heaven to Africa instead of the suffering that has been brought there for so many years.

So what good is a short term trip? What will we REALLY accomplish in that amount of time? We don’t know yet, but the fact is, you have to start somewhere. You have to start by showing up. By saying without words, I’m willing to travel half way around the world to swing a hammer and show you that I care.

South Africa doesn’t need our money, they need hope and that’s why we are going. And the people who need to see that the most are the children. I’ve come to believe that the only way to save Africa from the suffering that has taken place for so long is to rise up a generation of honest and compassionate leaders and get them into government positions where they can change their OWN countries.

So we will spend a little over a week helping Stellenberg create “irresistible environments” for both children and adults. So Stellenberg can invite the people of Cape Town into a life of hope. And I pray that they create a ripple effect into their own communities and eventually their own country.

I read somewhere that a true reformation will take 50 years, most of us on this trip may not see real “change” come to Africa in our lifetimes. But I can’t spend my life here on this earth knowing that I didn’t at least try to do something about it.

Welcome to our team's blog!

Greetings everyone. For those of you who don't know us, we are a team of 12 people who will be traveling from Atlanta, GA to Cape Town, South Africa on May 13th. We will be on a service-oriented mission trip in conjunction with globalX (www.goglobalx.org) and North Point Community Church (www.northpoint.org). Our team will be serving Stellenberg Community Church (www.stellenbergcc.org.za), one of North Point's global partners. The mission for both our church (NPCC) and Stellenberg (SCC) is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

We are not exactly certain what we will be doing in Cape Town, but we are going to serve SCC and the surrounding community using Christ's love and compassion. If you are already a member of our team through your prayers and/or acts of giving, we cannot thank you enough. God is at work in Cape Town, and we are so blessed to be a part of it. We would not be able to go if it were not for your generous donations and prayers. If you would like to donate to our trip, please visit https://ssl.northpoint.org/ssl/globalx/giving.html and select the "South Africa Service Projects Trip 5/14/09-5/23/09." If you have any questions or would like to get involved with globalX, please leave a comment on our blog, and we will respond.

Feel free to sign up to follow our blog if you would like to stay updated on our team's progress both here and in Cape Town. We will try our best to update the blog every day during the trip. Thank you for your prayers, gifts, and faithfulness in God's amazing grace.

1 John 4:4

"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."