Finally, a week before our half way point, we’re given no more than a contact and a location to go to. Since the beginning of the race many of us have been itching to walk into a location and rely on God for direction and ministry rather than having things pre-set, and we’re finally getting a taste of what that will look like. Next week (though we haven’t worked out how yet) the plan is to travel 2 – 3 days into Northern Mozambique where the floods are displacing people by the thousands. We’ll be taking as many food supplies as we can carry and possibly things like soccer balls and toys for an orphanage that Iris ministries is connected with there that has been destroyed by the flood, but much of the ministry side of things – praying, preaching, healing, evangelising, etc. – will be just asking God what He wants us to say or do. We’re all pretty excited to be trusting God in this way.
That said, there is one physical need that we’re hoping to meet – the orphanage I mentioned above was washed away in the flooding, but if we can raise enough money, we can buy the supplies needed to build a new, stronger orphanage that won’t get washed away with the next big flood. To do this we need $5000 US which we need to raise as a team before Valentine’s Day (or Hallmark Day as I like to call it). We will be setting up a special account for this in the next few days, but if you feel led to donate please send me an email so I can make sure you get the information you need. Hopefully I will also post the info here once I have it, but our internet access is sometimes easy sometimes not.
We’re currently in a Township called Back Door just outside of Nelspruit, South Africa, working with Iris ministries doing feeding programs, preschool visits, and prayer ministry. If you don’t know, a Township is where the Appartheid government forced the black population to live in sub-standard conditions during their reign in South Africa. The resulting population is undereducated, mostly unemployed, and missing a generation or two due to AIDS (infecting 1 in 3 people). There is very little electricity or running water in most of the community, and to give you an idea of the government’s involvement in trying to help here, you can’t find the place (which is huge) on a map because it officially doesn’t exist. The kids don’t know the difference between me and a jungle gym, so my back is protesting the work, but other than that ministry is awesome. I’m on my way now to pick up some supplies to repair a playground at one of the preschools….One more thing I never thought I’d do in my life – repairing and designing a playground.
