FIRST WORKDAY- REFLECTIONS BY A TRIP LEADER

As everyone probably knows, the Chico EV Free Church/Amor team arrived all without our luggage. Ouch! Why would that happen? God only knows. The next night we all went back to the airport and a Doctor heard our excitement when our luggage arrived, we screamed. He said he just arrived with thousands of dollars of medicine and was hoping to find someone to give it to. He gave it to us. Had we not been there it would not have happened. The next day Humphrey Birkenstock of Rainbow FM 90.7 took us to an world's famous AIDS Center, Ekosi Haven.


















Working at the Amor housebuilding worksite in Johannesburg.

When we arrived at the Amor Camp at the Ebenezer Care Center we noticed that from when we first arrived 18 months ago the place was crumbling and not going anywhere. They were just trying to maintain. Today, with what Amor has done it is a bustling center of activity. It is truly amazing. The traffic, the people, Humphrey, the building, Wow! God is truly amazing and this is his plan.


















We started the day with meetings. Steve Horrex from Amor Ministries did a great job explaining what we are doing and the vision for the future, especially getting South Africa churches involved and it is happening. It happened today. Churches, youth workers from the surrounding area were coming out of the woodwork. Smiles on their faces, stucco in hand and working away. We all are working in God's day here. There must have been 70 of us out there today. Forest was stressed to get us all going and Steve had his headache going. We kicked it into gear and away we went. Building, stuccoing, foundation, scraping... drink water, stay hydrated. It's going up. Amor housing.



















What Amor is accomplishing here is incredible and It Is Happening. People are excited! Shirley and Tommy, the Care Center's Directors, have smiles from ear to ear. The energy here is going up, up and up. I can hardly believe it.


















Here in South Africa where the problems are so huge between the poor, the unemployed, the diseased and those that have so much. We are helping to change that, and not by just building houses. By changing lives. By changing attitudes. By God being at work in our lives. By us opening that door and saying "yes." We have said yes to being here with Amor, the EV Free Church of Chico and SS. Simon's and Jude's from Phoenix, Arizona. This has to be God's A team with Amor and Rainbow 90.7.




















Everybody is having an amazing time experiencing and being loved by the people of South Africa. We are being treated like Gold, South Africa Gold. Everyone seems to be having the trip of a lifetime and we just started. The stories are already incredible. People will come home with more love, more understanding in their hearts. Hey, loosing our stuff was a tremendous thing. We were so worried about our stuff. We can't live without our stuff, but our stuff often, so often gets in the way. It made us realize what is important: God, Jesus Christ in our lives. Remember what God the Father has told us; "If you want to know me, know my Son", "Follow Him." We are trying to do that.


















EV Free and SS. Simon and Jude are so blessed to be here with Amor on this pilot program. These volunteers are mostly all Amor veterans. Even though we are using different building styles, we know the rhythm and what the goal is. They are a great group of young, medium, and even old folks (I'm tired, can't you tell.)























Everyone is saying they love being here. Thank you for your prayers, thank your for your support which is so needed and so much is being done here with it. We know we are being used by God and we are so happy to be chosen to be here (hey, I'm preaching South African style) Hallelujah! Yes, hallelujah to our Pastor Lou and hallelujah to Jen Pitera. Hallelujah to Amor and Rainbow FM.


















The team is laying the ground work for the cement foundation for a new home.




































Amor Ministry's Luke Makwakwa (on right with white t-shirt)
helping the team rendering the interior walls of the new home.


















Pastor Lou Diaz, EV Free Church of Chico, keeping a watchful
eye on everything. "Watching" for people to praise and encourage!!

Note: Thanks to Dan Irving from Chico EV Free Church for writing the body of the text for this blog post. Dan, you were oh so tired and still managed to capture a wonderful snapshot of the first day of work and all the adventures surrounding it!! To say you are deeply appreciated would understate all of our feelings immensely.