Showing posts with label South Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Africa. Show all posts
Saturday, June 20, 2009
SOUTH AFRICA UPDATE- THE LONG ROAD HOME
By now the Amor South Africa teams from Chico EV Free Church and SS Simon and Jude Cathedral are either at the airport in Johannesburg or in-flight heading back home at last. This will be the final blog post on this trip while the team is actually still in South Africa. The Chico EV Free team had a long day on Friday having completed their final work day (#5), checked into the Sunnyside Park Hotel, and attended a special dinner celebration at Sunnyside Park Hotel. The photos below show some of the completed homes they put their hearts into building this past week. What a fantastic testimony of how God's children can share His love around the world!! Well done good and faithful servants!!
Friday, June 19, 2009
SOUTH AFRICA FINAL WORK DAY PHOTOS- DAY 5
South Africa sunrise on the last day of work.
It's oh so cold here in South Africa but we were charged to work on our last day of our "labor of love".
Finishing touches on the roof of a new home.
A finished housed. Home sweet home.
More roof work.
The roof boards are up and all we need is this last day to put on the roofing.
The rising African sun is a welcome arrival as we finished breakfast and head to work sore, yet enthusiastic to finish our work on this, our final day of work.
Its time to head to dinner in Johannesburg at the Sunnyside Hotel and check into our rooms and get hot showers!!
Its time for to celebrate our work of service with the famous group photo.
Look at all those happy faces. See anyone you know?
Even after all that work, the group has energy to horse around. Or should we say "zebra" around.
Forrest Fowler, of Amor Ministries.....he's our hero!!!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
SOUTH AFRICA JUNE TRIP 2009 VIDEOS
Our South Africa partner in ministry, Rainbow FM 90.7, in Johannesburg, has posted videos of our teams at the Amor Ministries work sites this week. Click the picture below and go to the Rainbow FM 90.7 page with 7 short, but fun videos to watch:
SOUTH AFRICA TRIP UPDATE- WORK DAY 4
Dan Irving, group leader from Chico EV Free Church/Amor Ministries sends a great update from South Africa detailing their WORK DAY # 4:
"Ladies & Gentlemen, Saints & Sinners, lend me you ears, your eyes, your minds, your hearts and if you can send a check ($) to Amor Ministries will do a lot of good. What is happening here is nothing short of God's love and His plan; His Story is taking place. I truly believe that God has planned all along for this to take place and it is getting ready to take a quantum leap forward in South Africa, where the needs are so great; where there is so much poverty, suffering, AIDS, unemployment and homelessness. Amor Ministries has been working on this for years, laying down the infra-structure, making connections, building relationships-Godly relationships-and the pieces of this puzzle are coming together in an unbelievable way. No! The pieces are coming together in a most believable way.
This is an amazing Mission Trip and yesterday I said to Steve Horrex, "Steve, is it possible that this is too good!?" I spoke too soon, because of course there are problems. What is happening here is BIG and Satan is really upset, and doing whatever evil can do to rock the boat, tip us over, even drown us in our desire to help each other. God is not going to let that happen, not here, not now, not anymore, where the suffering has been going on for so long in South Africa. This is a turning point in time, in History. Apartheid (separation) has ended and reconciliation is hard at work. Now is South Africa's time and it is always the right time to do what is right. Gandhi said, "Be the change you what to see in the world." The Pastor E. V. Hill said, "If God can get through to you, He will get it to you."
OK, down to giving "THE NEWS," which will only be a highlight of what is going on, because so much is happening here with the hundreds and hundreds of stories, interactions, and most importantly the relationships being built by the ones who are blessed to be here.
Yesterday, Steve Horrex and Luke Makwakwa met with fourteen Pastors from Delmas, an agricultural area where Amor Ministries will go from building ten houses at Ebenezer's Community Center to building hundreds, then thousands, then God only knows... how many homes. These Pastors, mostly Black, have the poorest of the poor ministries. They are meeting in a yard, a home, a metal shack and working at bringing the Gospel to their people. They watched and listened closely as Steve Horrex explained what Amor does, how these homes can be built and how Amor works with the local pastors who are the ones who will determine who will get the homes. Amor's only condition is that the family has ownership in the land so nobody can take it away from them. Amor's vision is that this will spread throughout South Africa and to all the other countries in Africa. It is not dream, it is visionary and we hope and pray it will be like a virus that will not go away, impacting everyone.
Ebenezer's Care Center was founded 22 years ago by Pastor Thomas Mirime and his wife Shirley who were both raised as orphans. They have been married for thirty-two years and their hearts and their faith are a work in action. Shirley has become known as the "Mother Teresa of Ennerdale." Eighteen months ago Tommy said he was a "Doubting Thomas." He told me was amazed by houses being built in five days with unskilled labor. He said he didn't believe it was possible. But it happened and Thomas then said we could do more to help and change South Africa by teaching the youth how to build these houses than anything else in the world; that by educating the South African youth how to build these homes they will gain confidence and hope in their lives and they will think that they can do anything. Praise God! Thomas Merime says he has changed his name to "Tommy" and he is no longer a doubting Thomas.
The Delmas area and the surrounding three communities has a population of 150,000. The
unemployment rate is 60%. Amor plans in the next 4-5 years to build every family in the four communities, those with the greatest needs a home. A good solid home, with a solid foundation, a good roof, insulation for the cold of winter and the heat of summer, and it will be impervious to termites and insects. But the most important thing about these homes is what Gayla Congdon, who co-founded Amor Ministries with her husband Scott said, "By building a family a home you are helping to keep families together."
The most incredible thing is how the surrounding community is catching on fire with this Amor building concept. We have had government officials, church pastors, local school kids, local Muslims and community leaders visiting the work site every day and they walk away saying, "I cannot believe this, this is amazing, we want to help - Thank God, Praise God!" I've learned that everyone truly wants to give, yet we usually give in a way that makes us feel good. And yes, of course, it is in giving that we receive But it really helps if there is a plan to our giving; a plan of what to do with it, how best to put it to use. Experience, perseverance and faithfulness is at work here through Amor Ministries with thirty years of experience building thousands upon thousand of homes in Mexico. Steve Horrex and I did the math. How many homes have been built through Amor Ministries? How many volunteers has it taken to build those homes? How many family members have been impacted by these homes? We stopped when we hit one million. We stopped when we realized only God knows.
This South Africa Amor Mission has been launched and is ready to move into the next phase. To everyone reading this blog, listening to the podcasts and seeing the pictures, please keep on praying for us and please give to Amor Ministries, so they can do more... And oh yes, we are having a blast; we are having the time of our life!"
"Ladies & Gentlemen, Saints & Sinners, lend me you ears, your eyes, your minds, your hearts and if you can send a check ($) to Amor Ministries will do a lot of good. What is happening here is nothing short of God's love and His plan; His Story is taking place. I truly believe that God has planned all along for this to take place and it is getting ready to take a quantum leap forward in South Africa, where the needs are so great; where there is so much poverty, suffering, AIDS, unemployment and homelessness. Amor Ministries has been working on this for years, laying down the infra-structure, making connections, building relationships-Godly relationships-and the pieces of this puzzle are coming together in an unbelievable way. No! The pieces are coming together in a most believable way.
This is an amazing Mission Trip and yesterday I said to Steve Horrex, "Steve, is it possible that this is too good!?" I spoke too soon, because of course there are problems. What is happening here is BIG and Satan is really upset, and doing whatever evil can do to rock the boat, tip us over, even drown us in our desire to help each other. God is not going to let that happen, not here, not now, not anymore, where the suffering has been going on for so long in South Africa. This is a turning point in time, in History. Apartheid (separation) has ended and reconciliation is hard at work. Now is South Africa's time and it is always the right time to do what is right. Gandhi said, "Be the change you what to see in the world." The Pastor E. V. Hill said, "If God can get through to you, He will get it to you."
OK, down to giving "THE NEWS," which will only be a highlight of what is going on, because so much is happening here with the hundreds and hundreds of stories, interactions, and most importantly the relationships being built by the ones who are blessed to be here.
Yesterday, Steve Horrex and Luke Makwakwa met with fourteen Pastors from Delmas, an agricultural area where Amor Ministries will go from building ten houses at Ebenezer's Community Center to building hundreds, then thousands, then God only knows... how many homes. These Pastors, mostly Black, have the poorest of the poor ministries. They are meeting in a yard, a home, a metal shack and working at bringing the Gospel to their people. They watched and listened closely as Steve Horrex explained what Amor does, how these homes can be built and how Amor works with the local pastors who are the ones who will determine who will get the homes. Amor's only condition is that the family has ownership in the land so nobody can take it away from them. Amor's vision is that this will spread throughout South Africa and to all the other countries in Africa. It is not dream, it is visionary and we hope and pray it will be like a virus that will not go away, impacting everyone.
Ebenezer's Care Center was founded 22 years ago by Pastor Thomas Mirime and his wife Shirley who were both raised as orphans. They have been married for thirty-two years and their hearts and their faith are a work in action. Shirley has become known as the "Mother Teresa of Ennerdale." Eighteen months ago Tommy said he was a "Doubting Thomas." He told me was amazed by houses being built in five days with unskilled labor. He said he didn't believe it was possible. But it happened and Thomas then said we could do more to help and change South Africa by teaching the youth how to build these houses than anything else in the world; that by educating the South African youth how to build these homes they will gain confidence and hope in their lives and they will think that they can do anything. Praise God! Thomas Merime says he has changed his name to "Tommy" and he is no longer a doubting Thomas.
The Delmas area and the surrounding three communities has a population of 150,000. The
unemployment rate is 60%. Amor plans in the next 4-5 years to build every family in the four communities, those with the greatest needs a home. A good solid home, with a solid foundation, a good roof, insulation for the cold of winter and the heat of summer, and it will be impervious to termites and insects. But the most important thing about these homes is what Gayla Congdon, who co-founded Amor Ministries with her husband Scott said, "By building a family a home you are helping to keep families together."
The most incredible thing is how the surrounding community is catching on fire with this Amor building concept. We have had government officials, church pastors, local school kids, local Muslims and community leaders visiting the work site every day and they walk away saying, "I cannot believe this, this is amazing, we want to help - Thank God, Praise God!" I've learned that everyone truly wants to give, yet we usually give in a way that makes us feel good. And yes, of course, it is in giving that we receive But it really helps if there is a plan to our giving; a plan of what to do with it, how best to put it to use. Experience, perseverance and faithfulness is at work here through Amor Ministries with thirty years of experience building thousands upon thousand of homes in Mexico. Steve Horrex and I did the math. How many homes have been built through Amor Ministries? How many volunteers has it taken to build those homes? How many family members have been impacted by these homes? We stopped when we hit one million. We stopped when we realized only God knows.
This South Africa Amor Mission has been launched and is ready to move into the next phase. To everyone reading this blog, listening to the podcasts and seeing the pictures, please keep on praying for us and please give to Amor Ministries, so they can do more... And oh yes, we are having a blast; we are having the time of our life!"
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