Sunday, June 14, 2009

SOUTH AFRICA TRIP UPDATE- THE FOUND LUGGAGE

Pastor Lou Diaz from Chico EV Free Church who is with the Amor team in Johannesburg just wrote:

"Everyone except Shelby Ferrier got their luggage. Dan is meeting with Delta (D. E. L. T. A. = Don't Expect Luggage To Arrive) officials to track her's down for tomorrow's flight. We'll lend her stuff. Today was amazing! We worshiped and brought a Word of encouragement to the Rock of Salvation Baptist Church in Soweto. We were blessed by their energetic worship and the solid sermon from 2 Peter 1:1-10. They treated us to a chicken dinner and we met the other half of our team from Arizona, SS. Simon and Jude Cathedral.

We rode a coach bus and received a tour. When a 12 year old boy named Hector Peterson was shot to death on June 16, 1976, it began the unraveling of Apartheid. June 16 is a National Holiday called Youth Day - the start of the liberation from the death of Hector to the release of Nelson Mandela in 1994. Apartheid ended just 15 years ago! We are seeing freedom, property ownership, and integration like never imagined. Our wonderful host, Humphrey Birkenstock from Rainbow Radio 90.7 FM said that he and his wife were not going to have children until there was freedom - their son, Raymond, turned 15 yesterday!

We saw Mandela's house. Then we went to a flea market before heading back to the airport to claim our baggage. We stood for an hour while a hundred bags came out before ours did. Dave Newquist straightened every bag and we teased him that he will be hired by the airport. We cheered when Jessica Hyatt was the first person among us to get her bags! Thanks for your prayers. Here's the miracle of why our luggage was delayed: while waiting for our luggage, a doctor with a Native American Reservation in Montana gave us a duffel bag full of antibiotics for us to give to the orphans and refugees we will be serving! We would not have been at the airport at the same time were it not for this delay. God gets the glory for a plan better then ours. All the Red Sea Rules we have been learning are applying to this incredible missions experience. Brett Southwich safely arrived and looked as bleary eyed as we were yesterday. His dad, Harlo, was very happy to see him, and we gave him the official South African handshake and greeting from one of the eleven official languages.

PS: Apparently a strong wind at camp blew down our tents last night and they reinforced them for tonight. Pray for a good night's sleep and a productive day of work tomorrow from 8 am to 6 pm. Right now we are off to dinner! It's 7 :30 pm. What a day!"

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Please give our best to Shelby. We are praying that she gets her luggage today.
Bill and Laurette Ferrier

Anonymous said...

PTL! Prayers were sent out this morning at church so it is nice to know the luggage has been found. Shelby, I love your faithful spirit! You all missed Henry and Alice Mutua in church this morning, from Kenya! I was blessed. Be safe! Deedi