Random Pictures!

Goodbye SOUTH AFRICA!  We will forever remember our amazing time here!

Final Destination.

It was a wet goodbye Tuesday morning at MCV as the rain and tears flowed freely.  We had reached the end of our two week stay and it was time for us to move on. We had a wonderful send off of prayer and gifts, and of course, saying goodbye to the children. You could sense the bittersweet realizations of just how much those kids meant to us and how much we meant to them. We left with plenty memories to take home. Like people finishing the construction of a playground  till all hours of the night with headlamps just to get it done on time, or spending our days in the sun  painting a local church and pre-school, or taking care of houses so the mothers could have a day off, and all the time spent with the children. As we left I realized that those joyful children may have had a bigger impact on us than we did them. It would be unfair and just wrong if I left out one of the coolest parts about our time in White River. Thursday night taco nights at Rich and Lynn Hodge’s house!! These two amazing people not only fed us delicious tacos, but also invested in each and every one of our lives and showed us a love that could only come from God.  To top it all off, we where lucky enough to go on a real African safari in Krueger National Park, an unforgettable experience for sure.

It’s a strange to think where the time has gone as we now find ourselves here in Johannesburg with only a few days left of our time here in South Africa. We’re staying in a missionary hostel called “Angel’s Rest” which is a perfect place for some much needed RNR and also some time de-brief our journey over the last five months. Over the next couple of days we get to reflect on what God has done in our lives since day one. Today we talked about where God has taken us spiritually during this time. I realized just how far He has brought me and I explained it a little like this:

Five months ago I was walking in darkness. On that plane headed to Belize I wasn’t even sure if God existed. My time spent in Belize was one of realization. Everything I heard was new to me, I was having light bulb moments left and right. Reading my Bible and praying felt like totally new and exciting concepts. I felt like a sponge, soaking in everything I could. I accepted Jesus into my heart when I was nine but my time in Belize was the real beginning of my relationship with Him who has more love for me than I could ever have imagined. Belize was like reading a story about God and His goodness, and once we got to South Africa I got to see the story unfold before me. His goodness and mercy was being spilled everywhere we went. He brought us to places we never thought we’d be.  Outreach was different than lecture phase but exactly what I needed. I got to put into practice everything I learned. However God continued to work on my heart all the more. He’s shown me His love and I’ve gotten to explore it and I’ve found out just how indescribably important it is. It’s the answer to everything, for me and everyone in this world!  

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support, we have loved being able to share our hearts and experiences with you. We love that you have been following our blog, and your support has been more valuable than you know. Thank you! With love from South Africa,

~ Joshua Duft

YWAM DP 2011 September School

Ligama lami Liqiniso ~ My name is Alicia

Michael's Children Village is so beautiful.  Once hearing in November this place was a destination on outreach, I've been looking forward to it!  I can say the presence of God here is true to the Iris Ministries' name.  This is a community of peace love and thankfulness.  There are eighteen kids currently living here with two sets of house parents from nearby townships.  Teisa and Jean are the amazing epicenter of this program.  They are living some of the fastest paced lives I've ever seen.  It is a privilege to live in this community where we can be with the kids and house parents in our free time.  I've been excited to get my hands in the dirt again with Mama Dube in her garden.  (Dad, I'm remembering all the tips and tricks you've taught me and I'm spreading it to these folks!)

Anyway, the joy of the Lord is our strength EVERY DAY.  At this point physically and mentally we should be exhausted but out Holy Spirit tends to bubble up inside.  I've never been so joyful and fulfilled being a radical follower of Jesus.  He's put rollerblades to the things we've learned in the lecture phase.  There's only a few more days in South Africa but the freedom I've found here will keep my spirit flying even years after the end of outreach!

Thank you for reading and taking a closer look into our lives, supporting this strong team and finding dreams igniting in your heart through our testimonies.

Joy,
Alicia Andrus

Last post from Durban!

Our past few weeks have been amazing. We have seen God moving in ways that I didn't expect. We have visited a few different places; a food bank, an orphanage, and the taxi rink. Each place has a different feel and a different vibe.

Our experience at the food back was great. All of the volunteers that normally work there were gone for the Christmas holiday. Our team was able to bless the ones who were there during our time. We sorted through a lot of food and had a lot of laughs. All in all it was worth doing.

The orphanage that we visited was amazing. They own three hundred acres of a game reserve. They had 134 children all HIV positive. They believe in supporting themselves by growing and selling tomatoes. It was refreshing to see an effort like that. They don't want to have to rely on others to support the children they are caring for. We did a little landscaping for them and then hung out with the kids.

Our time at the taxi rink was truly amazing. We went there with little plans but a lot of faith. We performed a few skits for the people passing by, drew a crowd, preached the good news and prayed for people. We saw people gain hearing and sight, and lose pain where they once had it. It was the best Christmas Eve I have ever had!

God is truly with us and with the people of South Africa.

~Bryden Jeffery

We are leaving tomorrow night for White River!  Please be praying for safe travels and amazing stories along the way.  Goodbye Durban!

pictures!

here is a glimpse of what we have been up to lately...

(these were intended to go on an earlier post but the internet didn't cooperate with us)

:o)  enjoy!

Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone

Throughout being in South Africa we have been involved in so many different ministries. One of the ministries that has really impacted my life is Careline. Careline is a rehab center and halfway house for people dealing with alcoholism, drug problems, and mental illnesses. Since going to Careline I have been able to connect with so many different people. Every time we go to Careline I get so excited for the next time. I have loved hearing their stories and making friendships. In the beginning of going to Careline it was really hard to connect with everyone because I didn’t know them that well. I also had never been to a rehab center before but when we continued to go there for different things I was able to communicate with them more than I expected . When we first started going to Careline I really felt that at this place God was really going to use me and he has repeatedly. Throughout my life I have had trouble really stepping out of my comfort zone. It’s always been hard for me to just go up to people and start talking to them. Careline had truly changed that in me. For the past few weeks I have been able to stretch myself and talk to people a lot more. When I’m there I’m not afraid of anything. I used to be super scared to share my story or share about God because I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to answer people's questions and that no one could relate to any of my story. God has been giving me the words to say and he has brought people who can relate to my story.

One of the greatest experiences that has taken place is when I spent the evening talking to Darren. It all started when I saw him sitting alone and no one else was talking to him. I felt God speak to me and tell me to just introduce myself and he would work the rest so I did. Within a few minutes the whole conversation turned into each of us sharing our testimonies to one another. The cool part about our testimonies is that some of the things he struggles with in life are things I struggle with as well. It felt so awesome to know that even though God makes everyone different and no human is the same as another there are still parts of us that can be similar.

God has giving me a heart for everyone at the rehab center. I never thought God would give me a heart for this place. I have always had this love for being with children but since going to Careline I’m starting to have a love for people going through difficult times. I’m so excited to see how God uses me these next days there as well as other places.

~Megan Trainer

kids, prayers and healing!

We are falling more in love with the people and culture here everyday. This last week has been packed full of priceless moments that we will never forget. We have been spending time building relationships at a couple of churches nearby, one English speaking and the other one is in Zulu. We stick out as the only white people who attend the Zulu service, but we feel so welcome and blessed to be there.

Part of last week we split into two different groups to bless multiple ministries at the same time. Some of us supported a children’s church event Monday through Thursday and enjoyed teaching them about Jonah. Others ministered to a local orphanage and prayed over people in the neighborhood.

We have continued to build relationships at Careline, a rehabilitation center, and have had many opportunities to share our testimonies and love for God there. After sharing dinner with them we have a time of worship and sharing which usually leads into a time that they ask questions about our faith.

One of the most stretching and rewarding parts of this last week has been the time we have spent wandering the neighborhood asking people if we can pray for them. Reactions are definitely mixed, but we have seen miracles happen in the lives of quite a few of the people who are open to prayer. Physical healings and new salvations have encouraged and blessed us as well.

Healings have not only happened outside of our house but within our team family as well. Here is a note from Hannah…

“Two weeks ago, I was set free from dairy and gluten intolerances after struggling against them for over two years. I was blown away because the healing took absolutely no effort on my part; just claiming the freedom Jesus' authority offers. I learned that God's heart for us is love and healing. His will IS to heal his children. I don't know why we don't always receive healing when we pray for it, but I do know that it is his will. I'm still getting used to the new found freedom I have to EAT CAKE. Haha! God is so good.”

We are all excited to see how God continues to work in our hearts and through us to bless the community here.