We are finally done! These past six months have been some of the most challenging and rewarding times of our lives. We really feel we have grown a lot as people and are ready for the next thing God has for us, whatever that may be. Gina will be working with YWAM for at least another six months, continuing to lead young people, as well as helping pioneer the local sports outreach around Harpenden and Luton. I am heading back to Seattle and will begin to look for a job. Both of us our excited to see what God will do through us and for where He will direct us next. We can not say enough how much we appreciate all your prayers and support.
As for the rest of our time in South Africa. It went really well. The group we were in were able to go into a local farm and work with kids ranging from age 6 to 18. We had free reign to do whatever we wanted, from dodge ball to bible stories we worked with them each day during the world cup. It was amazing to see how much of an impact we were able to make in such a short time. Everyone in the community were so appreciative, which really encouraged us as a group. I could go on for pages with stories and experiences we had, hopefully we will get a chance to share with each of you individually soon.
One last specific prayer request, if you can pray for Gina's finances she would greatly appreciate it. Living by faith for finances is not always the easiest and can often be very humbling. If you feel at all lead or would like to give to her you can contact her at gladams15@aol.com. Thanks again for everything! and I hope you enjoyed our blog!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
World Cup Time!
So much has happened these last five weeks. From chopping wood to running different sports with the kids, we have kept extremely busy. Each day we have done a variety of things. Some mornings we get a chance to do some practical things to bless the Village of Hope. If I haven’t explained, the Village of Hope is the group we have been working with here. They are a farm which has a baby unit, were 9 TB or HIV infected kids live. They also work in the community, running sports clubs in the townships and just caring for the people. It has really been amazing to see how much effect they have on this community. Anyway some days we are able to just help them, by cutting down trees, or working in the baby unit. However, the major part of our outreach has really revolved around the kids in the community.
For the world cup the kids here got a long holiday, which means there are a lot of kids with nothing to do and no one to really look after them, or feed them for that matter. So in Grabouw, were we are working, they put together a task team to provide things for the kids to do during their holiday. The majority of that program is us. We run a day of different sports, from soccer and dodgeball to volleyball and netball, Monday through Friday. The kids come and just have a blast hanging out and playing with us. It is also really cool to see how much they grow as we continue to pray for them and share with them, about Jesus or often even just simple life skills. Then when the day is finishing up around 3 we feed them and watch the four o clock world cup match. They don’t always seem interested in the game but it is nice to have a time to just hang out and talk to them.
Then on Saturday we run a program called soccer Saturday. All the kids from the different programs come and play soccer. The younger kids can get there face painted and the girls play netball. This week I got an opportunity to lead the whole day with one other guy from our school. It was a little stressful but in the end it went really well. The kids really seemed to enjoy themselves and we received a lot of positive feedback. On top of these activities we also get chances to go out in the community with a group called Tembacare.
Tembacare is a medical unit that helps HIV and TB patients. They work in the townships to get people tested, provide medications, pray for people and to really just love the people. In Grabouw there is only one day hospital for all the people. So if you don’t have money or transportation you can’t get to a hospital at all during the night, and you cant stay over night. This unit gives a place for the really sick to stay, and also goes out and checks on patients to make sure they are taking their medications. For us going out with the Tembacare workers and praying for the people was really an eye opening experience. We got a chance to walk around the townships and really see the living conditions of the people there. It is really sad to see how so many people are forced to live.
The experience in South Africa so far has really been amazing and it continues to blow my mind how much of a difference people can make by just serving and caring for others. I ask that you continue to pray for us, specifically for health and good weather, as we are in the middle of winter and many in our group are sick, including myself. Thanks and God bless.
PS In case you saw or heard a few of us also got an opportunity to go to some world cup matches. We often only get a day off a week to see the sites but thankfully we have not failed to utilize those days. We have been able to visit Robben Island, climb Table Mountain, see France vs Uruguay, and for me England vs Algeria. It has really been an added blessing from God and I am so thankful.
For the world cup the kids here got a long holiday, which means there are a lot of kids with nothing to do and no one to really look after them, or feed them for that matter. So in Grabouw, were we are working, they put together a task team to provide things for the kids to do during their holiday. The majority of that program is us. We run a day of different sports, from soccer and dodgeball to volleyball and netball, Monday through Friday. The kids come and just have a blast hanging out and playing with us. It is also really cool to see how much they grow as we continue to pray for them and share with them, about Jesus or often even just simple life skills. Then when the day is finishing up around 3 we feed them and watch the four o clock world cup match. They don’t always seem interested in the game but it is nice to have a time to just hang out and talk to them.
Then on Saturday we run a program called soccer Saturday. All the kids from the different programs come and play soccer. The younger kids can get there face painted and the girls play netball. This week I got an opportunity to lead the whole day with one other guy from our school. It was a little stressful but in the end it went really well. The kids really seemed to enjoy themselves and we received a lot of positive feedback. On top of these activities we also get chances to go out in the community with a group called Tembacare.
Tembacare is a medical unit that helps HIV and TB patients. They work in the townships to get people tested, provide medications, pray for people and to really just love the people. In Grabouw there is only one day hospital for all the people. So if you don’t have money or transportation you can’t get to a hospital at all during the night, and you cant stay over night. This unit gives a place for the really sick to stay, and also goes out and checks on patients to make sure they are taking their medications. For us going out with the Tembacare workers and praying for the people was really an eye opening experience. We got a chance to walk around the townships and really see the living conditions of the people there. It is really sad to see how so many people are forced to live.
The experience in South Africa so far has really been amazing and it continues to blow my mind how much of a difference people can make by just serving and caring for others. I ask that you continue to pray for us, specifically for health and good weather, as we are in the middle of winter and many in our group are sick, including myself. Thanks and God bless.
PS In case you saw or heard a few of us also got an opportunity to go to some world cup matches. We often only get a day off a week to see the sites but thankfully we have not failed to utilize those days. We have been able to visit Robben Island, climb Table Mountain, see France vs Uruguay, and for me England vs Algeria. It has really been an added blessing from God and I am so thankful.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
From South Africa
Hello Everyone from South Africa. If you didn’t hear we made it safely and without a hitch. We have now been here two weeks and we can honestly say it has been an amazing experience so far, as well as an eye opening one. For the last two weeks our group of 19 have been working with local schools close to the townships (informal settlements is the PC name). The school Gina and I have been working in is a two part experience. Each day we spend an hour and forty minutes teaching a classroom of students. We have been able to teach on a range of topics, from respect and teamwork to about the different countries in the world cup. Then in the afternoon, the group of six of us that go to this school, coach soccer for an hour. At times it is hard but just seeing how exited the kids get when we show up makes it all worth it.
We could tell you many stories and experiences so far but to save your eyes and time I will just tell you two to give you an idea of what we are doing. So flexibility is something we are definitely learning here. On any given day a teacher may say their class is switching with another class, so we have to teach a different set of students that are also a different range of ages. One day we came to the school and were not supposed to coach the students until 2, from 2 to 3. While we were sitting at the school eating our lunch one of the teachers told us that the kids were on their way to the field. The next thing we know the principle walks in and says to the effect of “oops I forgot to tell you, you have the kids from now (12:30) till 2”. It doesn’t sound like that big of a deal but when you have a plan and it gets changed it can be challenging, especially for me and Gina. Another thing that happened was on the first day. We showed up to coach soccer, we walked onto a big field of rocks. No joke, a soccer size open area of rocks. Literally you couldn’t roll the ball straight if you tried. Then a hundred and twenty kids from age 12 to 18 came out at the six of us and we were told to teach them how to play soccer =) It was definitely a learning experience and challenging but we also reason that if we could handle that the first day we could handle anything else that came our way.
It is hard at times to see the living conditions the kids live in and to hear about things that go on with the kids at home. In my class of fifth graders one lesson the teacher gave was about not drinking, fighting, doing drugs, and having sex. She told us that all those things were almost normal for kids even at that age. Our teacher told me and my partner Peta (from Samoa) stories from when she worked with abused children, and even about how one girl in our school who had been raped. It is not easy to hear about and really puts into perspective the needs that are still out there in this world. I have been blessed with a Christian teacher who is open to us sharing with the kids and praying with them, which has been amazing. They really seem to respond well and I can only pray that God uses the words we say to really make a difference, if not now at some point in their lives.
A few other things you may find interesting. First that our school is not taught in English but in Africaans, most of the students we work with speak English but a lot of the time it can be challenging to communicate. I find we have to explain things many different ways and with simple words for them to understand well. This next week our schedule is the same but once the world cup starts the kids go on holiday so our schedule changes a little. Obviously the teaching part will go away, but the coaching part wont. The plan is to still coach our same kids for two sessions a day, I believe, and then to watch a world cup game with the kids. I am really excited about it right now, but also I am trying to keep an open mind because I wont know if the plan will change until it happens.
Enough for now, again we can never say thanks enough for the prayer you all give us. We don’t get many chances to get on the internet here, but we will try our best to post again soon.
We could tell you many stories and experiences so far but to save your eyes and time I will just tell you two to give you an idea of what we are doing. So flexibility is something we are definitely learning here. On any given day a teacher may say their class is switching with another class, so we have to teach a different set of students that are also a different range of ages. One day we came to the school and were not supposed to coach the students until 2, from 2 to 3. While we were sitting at the school eating our lunch one of the teachers told us that the kids were on their way to the field. The next thing we know the principle walks in and says to the effect of “oops I forgot to tell you, you have the kids from now (12:30) till 2”. It doesn’t sound like that big of a deal but when you have a plan and it gets changed it can be challenging, especially for me and Gina. Another thing that happened was on the first day. We showed up to coach soccer, we walked onto a big field of rocks. No joke, a soccer size open area of rocks. Literally you couldn’t roll the ball straight if you tried. Then a hundred and twenty kids from age 12 to 18 came out at the six of us and we were told to teach them how to play soccer =) It was definitely a learning experience and challenging but we also reason that if we could handle that the first day we could handle anything else that came our way.
It is hard at times to see the living conditions the kids live in and to hear about things that go on with the kids at home. In my class of fifth graders one lesson the teacher gave was about not drinking, fighting, doing drugs, and having sex. She told us that all those things were almost normal for kids even at that age. Our teacher told me and my partner Peta (from Samoa) stories from when she worked with abused children, and even about how one girl in our school who had been raped. It is not easy to hear about and really puts into perspective the needs that are still out there in this world. I have been blessed with a Christian teacher who is open to us sharing with the kids and praying with them, which has been amazing. They really seem to respond well and I can only pray that God uses the words we say to really make a difference, if not now at some point in their lives.
A few other things you may find interesting. First that our school is not taught in English but in Africaans, most of the students we work with speak English but a lot of the time it can be challenging to communicate. I find we have to explain things many different ways and with simple words for them to understand well. This next week our schedule is the same but once the world cup starts the kids go on holiday so our schedule changes a little. Obviously the teaching part will go away, but the coaching part wont. The plan is to still coach our same kids for two sessions a day, I believe, and then to watch a world cup game with the kids. I am really excited about it right now, but also I am trying to keep an open mind because I wont know if the plan will change until it happens.
Enough for now, again we can never say thanks enough for the prayer you all give us. We don’t get many chances to get on the internet here, but we will try our best to post again soon.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
South Africa here we come…
We just arrived back in Harpenden from Manchester and now have four days to prepare and debrief before our 11 hour flight to South Africa. We are getting really excited. The last two weeks have been some of the most rewarding and challenging times so far in England. I know for the guys, living in such close quarters has really tested our patients toward each other. It has definitely been a learning experience to say the least.
Practically, as we said before, we worked with a Brazilian church in the projects of Manchester. This involved coaching local kids, playing soccer against a bunch of guys from Angola, helping at a local rec center, putting on a fun day with face painting and games at a local park, praying and really interceding on behalf of the community, and many other things. In the church we did a lot of work with the youth, talking with them, having a sleepover night, and really just building relationships with them and sharing our faith with them if the opportunity came up. For me I also got a chance to give a fifteen minute talk in front of the church. It was a great experience. I talked about 1 Thess 5:17, pray without ceasing, and what that means practically for a person’s life. I mainly focused on different parts of my testimony and verses that support the idea of praying about everything and anything and how nothing is too small to bring to God. I felt like it went really well and God really spoke through me. These two weeks really taught us both a lot and we are really exited to see what South Africa will bring.
Please be praying for us and we promise to try and update you as much as we can. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support!!
Practically, as we said before, we worked with a Brazilian church in the projects of Manchester. This involved coaching local kids, playing soccer against a bunch of guys from Angola, helping at a local rec center, putting on a fun day with face painting and games at a local park, praying and really interceding on behalf of the community, and many other things. In the church we did a lot of work with the youth, talking with them, having a sleepover night, and really just building relationships with them and sharing our faith with them if the opportunity came up. For me I also got a chance to give a fifteen minute talk in front of the church. It was a great experience. I talked about 1 Thess 5:17, pray without ceasing, and what that means practically for a person’s life. I mainly focused on different parts of my testimony and verses that support the idea of praying about everything and anything and how nothing is too small to bring to God. I felt like it went really well and God really spoke through me. These two weeks really taught us both a lot and we are really exited to see what South Africa will bring.
Please be praying for us and we promise to try and update you as much as we can. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support!!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
April 2010!
One post a month...not great but what can you do. Things have been really busy here the last month and believe it or not will only get more busy the next three. We leave for Manchester on Monday to work with a local church there, and then we are back in Harpenden for four days until we leave for South Africa for two months, but first let me tell you about what has been going on here.
We spent a week in Cardiff (in Wales). As a team we joined 4 other schools for a week of lectures and outreach there. The lectures focused on Evangelism and what that actually means. We learned about how evangelism isn't about saving people or even telling them about Jesus per se. It is just about loving people and genuinely caring about them and showing interest in their lives. It was a great week to just spend some time together and to really grow together as a group. There has been a lot of change in our group for the better, it has been really exiting to see.
In Cardiff we got the chance to do some soccer coaching in a park with local kids. This was really cool, the same group of kids came for three days straight and we really got to hang out and get to know them and share a bit about Jesus with them.
One of the days we ended up arranging a match with a group of guys from Botswana for the following day. Which was another cool opportunity that opened up.
As I mentioned before we leave for Manchester on Monday were we will be working with a Brazilian church doing various sport coaching in schools and local leisure centers as well as serving the church in anyway we can.
Then we're off to South Africa on the 14th of May. I'm getting really excited to finally be on outreach but there is definitely a lot that needs to get done before we go so it can be stressful at times. If you could just pray for our safety in Manchester and that everything goes smoothly during our time there that would be awesome.
We spent a week in Cardiff (in Wales). As a team we joined 4 other schools for a week of lectures and outreach there. The lectures focused on Evangelism and what that actually means. We learned about how evangelism isn't about saving people or even telling them about Jesus per se. It is just about loving people and genuinely caring about them and showing interest in their lives. It was a great week to just spend some time together and to really grow together as a group. There has been a lot of change in our group for the better, it has been really exiting to see.
In Cardiff we got the chance to do some soccer coaching in a park with local kids. This was really cool, the same group of kids came for three days straight and we really got to hang out and get to know them and share a bit about Jesus with them.
One of the days we ended up arranging a match with a group of guys from Botswana for the following day. Which was another cool opportunity that opened up.
As I mentioned before we leave for Manchester on Monday were we will be working with a Brazilian church doing various sport coaching in schools and local leisure centers as well as serving the church in anyway we can.
Then we're off to South Africa on the 14th of May. I'm getting really excited to finally be on outreach but there is definitely a lot that needs to get done before we go so it can be stressful at times. If you could just pray for our safety in Manchester and that everything goes smoothly during our time there that would be awesome.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Holy Spirit
So much has happened in the last two weeks. Last Sunday I went into London with a few people from the school to go to Hillsong, I also went to Holy Trinity Bromton where Nicky Gumble, the Alpha guy preaches. They both were great, in HTB a pastor spoke who runs a church in Baghdad. Some of the stories he told were crazy, he has over 20 personal body guards. As far as the actual school, it is also going great. At times it has been really hard living and spending so much time with people so different then myself. There have definitely been a few conflicts, however I can honestly say that things have gotten way better over the last week. We are really starting to come together as a group, it has been amazing how God has been working in each of our lives. I wont go into too much detail but this week we learned about the Holy Spirit and had some amazing experiences with Him. To be honest a lot of the changes in people came after some encounters and Baptisms with the Holy Spirit. It has been a really good week and I learned a lot too. The week before we learned about discipleship, we looked back at the culture during Jesus’ time. It was really interesting to hear about what it meant to be a disciple during those times. In those days a disciple would follow their Rabbi day and night and literally try and learn how to be exactly like that person. I found that to be profound because in church we always throw around the word disciple, “go into all the world and make disciples…”, I am on a “discipleship training school”. But it wasn’t until that week that I really understood what that meant and honestly I am still learning what that means. Other than that life has been really good, I am very happy right now and even when I am dealing with problems I just feel a joy and excitement for the future. Thanks again for all the prayers! -Colin
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Freedom
sorry i've been slacking. Like Colin said last week was quite an encouragement for the school. The week was lead by the "freedom team" here on the campus. The teaching is all about being saved by God, finding your identity in him and living free from sin (especially sins we don't necessarily tag as sin). The coolest part of this teaching (in my opinion) is when a group of the staff ask God what his original design is for each student. As a leader I got to learn and practice being apart of actually prayer for each student which was really cool. I was one of the people who prayed for Patch (Colin's roommate). It was hard at first doing something like that cause it takes a lot of faith and confidence that it is God who is speaking to you, but each time I did it my faith grew as the words I received was very similar to what other people in my group received. It was especially rewarding this week getting to see the students begin to really engage with God and take this time here seriously. Many students identified some of the things that were holding them back from getting closer with God and prayed for freedom from that.
On another note I am beginning to get really tired and kinda sick. We spent a lot of time outside this week, but we are officially FA level 1 coaches in football (soccer)!
On another note I am beginning to get really tired and kinda sick. We spent a lot of time outside this week, but we are officially FA level 1 coaches in football (soccer)!
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