Just A Little Over A Month!

Hey guys! Here's an update on our team! :)

With Father's Day being June 20, we took a break from our normal meetings. Instead, Danielle hosted a movie night for all who could make it. Lisa, Peter, and I went over at 5 to eat some delicious food (jalapeno mac and cheese!) and watch Tsotsi. The movie was about a gang member in South Africa. It depicted how he got into the life of violence and crime and how events led to redemption and hope for him in the end. We have talked a lot about Africa, but it was very informative and interesting to get to see the landscape of where we are going. It was much different than what I expected! But the movie made me even more excited to go.

This week, we met at my place because Danielle had other committments. Janet and Dianne couldn't make it either, but the rest of us met to continue our reading of The Hole in Our Gospel by Rich Stearns. Lisa led us through a chapter-by-chapter discussion on chapters 11-14. The main points we talked about were how the poor have lost hope because they face so much, including hunger, thirst, sickness, malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS/HIV, no clothing or money, illiteracy, and no equality. Each of us were touched differently by the above, speaking to us all differently, but we were all united in our desire to do something to help. There's a story in chapter 14 that sums it up well:

One early morning, after a fierce storm had hit the coast, I strolled to the beach for my morning walk. Horrified, I saw that tens of thousands of starfish had been washed up on the beach by the winds and waves. I was saddened by the realization that all of them would die, stranded on the shore, away from the life-giving water. Despairing that there was nothing I could do, I sat down and put my head in my hands.
But then I heard a sound, and I lifted my eyes. There, in the distance, I saw a man bending down and then standing up, bending down and standing up. Curious, I rose and walked toward him. I saw that he was picking up the starfish, one at a time, and throwing them back into the sea.
"What are you doing?" I yelled.
"Saving the starfish," he replied.
"But don't you see, man, that there are tens of thousands of them?" I asked, incredulous. "Nothing you can do will make a difference.
He did not answer me but instead bent down, picked up another starfish, and cast it back into the water. He smiled, looked me in the eye, and said, "It made a difference to that one!"

I love that story because that's often how we feel when it comes to helping the suffering and the poor of this world. But God calls us out to be the "salt and light" of this world (Matthew 5:13-14).

Of course, we can only do that with the help of our supporters. Please continue to pray for us as our trip draws ever closer! Financially, our team has a long way to go, so pray that the Lord will provide. As for donations, we have already collected so much we need to see if we even need to collect anymore! Praise the Lord! Also, please pray for the hearts of the people in Africa and the team that we all be open to what God has in store for us. Thank you so much for all your support!

Posted by Jen