Day 10

Yesterday we stayed on the BIMS property all day and recuperated with some much needed R&R. We did some laundry and organized our belongings to prepare for our treacherous 26 hours of travel time back home to the States. We headed out to Sandton to experience the local nightlife and possibly meet some young professionals who could give us some insight into Jozi culture. We met a few people who were extremely nice. It was a late night and we arrived back at BIMS around 1am. Exhausted, we slept right away to wake up in time on Sunday, for our daily devotionals and to leave for church service at House of Harvest Ministries (HOHM) in Midrand.

As it is Women's Month in South Africa, HOHM asked Pastor Joyce to speak to the congregation. The people at HOHM were so welcoming and we experienced an incredible and interesting Sunday morning service. After the service we were invited to yet another delicious feast prepared by wonderful hands. During the feast we got to talk to the leaders of HOHM and ask then questions and listen to their testimonies.

After HOHM, we drove back to BIMS to get a few hours of rest in before we attended another Sunday service later in the evening at Christian Family Church in Kempton Park. CFC was an amazing church with a beautiful campus. The sermon was delivered by Pastor Andre and he spoke about fearing the Lord and walking in the fear of the Lord. After the service we walked around the beautiful campus and visited the bookstore where we saw copies of PDL and PDC! We even bought our driver, Vussie, a copy of the book so he could read it.

Overall, our Sunday was filled with amazing experiences and God gave us the strength to wake up early and visit 2 churches. We've visited a total of 4 churches during our 2 week stay and each church was unique. We were blessed to have spent time at each church and see how different and diverse they were.

Prayer Requests:
1. Team's safety and health. A few of us are experiencing headaches an body aches. Our minds and our bodies are exhausted but we are pushing through to minister till the end of our trip! So please pray that God continues to give us the strength and that he renews our bodies and our minds and energizes us each morning.
2. Pray that during our debriefing, we may be able to express ourselves fully and wholeheartedly to one another and that we may fully grasp everything wee learned while in Joburg.
3. Pray for our long flight home on Tuesday 8/21. That we may travel safely and that there may not be any issues.

Day 8

Our Friday started off with lunch with pastor Zweli, his wife Pastor Susan, and their granddaughter Michaela. We ate at a restaurant called Maxis. Pastor Zweli runs House of Harvest Church in Midrand. We had a beautiful lunch filled with lots of interesting information regarding the community, South African culture, and the religion.

Here is a picture of the team, our driver Vussie, and Pastor Zweli, Pastor Susan, and Michaela.

After lunch, we headed out to Soweto to volunteer at a local orphanage, called Othandweni Centre. We walked through the facilities and then we headed to the nursery where we got to spend time with children ages 0-4. Our hearts broke for the children at the orphanage and it was hard to leave. The children were so bright and affectionate. One of the kids, named Tapo, even became attached to our driver Vussie, running to him at first sight asking to be carried.

From the Othandweni Centre we headed to Friday Night Church at Urban Life Church back in Midrand. It reminded us of Saddleback! The congregation was about 70% White, 20% Black, and 10% Other. The staff was very friendly and every person we talked to there knew who Rick Warren was, about Saddleback, and PDL books! Many of the Pastors even visited Saddleback and attended the PDL conference held at Saddleback Lake Forest 2 years ago.

Above is Pastor Jono Wegerle during his sermon on Amazing Time.

Here's something Tayen Kim wrote about Pastor Zweli:

                Meeting Pastor Zweli was a true blessing.  In God’s short article of  “Johannesburg,” it seems that under the thesis statement of “I love this city,” our meeting today with Pastor Zweli of House of Harvest Ministries in Midrand is a significant supporting detail. 

                Much of the descriptions he gave us of his ministry, as well as that of other churches gave us deeper insight into some of the more general pictures we were painted by other people.  It seems that Pastor Zweli’s ministry works hard to cater to an array of the different ethnic groups residing in midrand.  To this end, they even research into different praise songs in different languages.  Let’s not forget that South Africa has about 11 official languages.  That’s what I call dedication.

                As our team sat in the middle of a road-side diner, which very much reminded me of Denny’s in the States, Pastor Zweli shared with us, in his gently rumbling voice, that his approach to ministry is to only focus on what the Lord wants and where the Holy Spirit is taking them and that the rest is up to God.  We nodded in praise to God, as well as in agreement with Pastor Zweli as he expressed his lack of interest in numbers or fame.  When we asked him how he gets his members to be involved in ministries, he answered that all they do is preach the Word of God and pray for the church’s growth in maturity.  No wonder the Lord has blessed them and brought them more and more people to whom to minister.

a quick look at parts of our journey

hello!

so i thought you might be interested to see some of the things we've been doing.  and since i have a limited number of photos that i can post, it'll be a random mix of images... but hope you like!  (amy will post more tomorrow)

the day of the breakthrough:  our team had a wonderful, wonderful talk, followed by prayer.  i was especially thankful for teresa's honesty and gracious attitude.  we were truly impressed by God that day.

 

we met some ladies at the boulders mall who approached us to ask us questions.  one of them turned out to be a member of one of the biggest churches here, rehma.

every morning, we begin the day with songs of praise, prayer, and God's Word.

isn't the sunset beautiful here?

Day 5

Our morning started with yet another road block, regarding the planned art show. We were sent an email which ultimately led to the conclusion that the art gallery we had in mind was no longer available for us to use for our Connect Art Show. We were disheartened, however Pastor Tony suggested that we look into an annual art walk that takes place in Downtown Johannesburg. We didn't want to get our hopes up, but we were excited for this new option that seemed promising and ultimately better for the objective of our art show; especially location wise. Long story short, we come to find that the art walk was discontinued about a year ago. Our team was frustrated and stressed out. We had a huge breakthrough with one of our prayer requests. We were able to voice our frustration and unite as a team. We were obedient to God and decided that maybe we were hitting so many road blocks with the art show because God didn't want us to pursue it further.

After being open with each other, there seemed to be a huge weight lifted off our shoulders as we were able to be vulnerable and open with one another. We continued our day driving through downtown Johannesburg and even stopped by some local street markets.

Prayer requests:
1. Some of the ladies have been having trouble sleeping. Pray that we may all get a good night's rest so that we may be energized and renewed each day.
2. Please continue to pray for our health and safety.
3. Pray for our connections in Johannesburg. That we may continue to meet new people and build our relationships with those we have already met and been in contact with.
4. Pray for our team unity and that we may continue to open up to each other and become a family.

Day 3 and 4

Day 3

Our first Sunday in Jo'Burg was spent at Christian Family Church (CFC) with Pastor Tony Mamarigane in Soweto. We were welcomed with hugs and handshakes. Our team definitely felt the love from our fellow brothers and sisters at CFC.

Tayen was asked to speak to the congregation and she delivered a wonderful message that was very well received by the congregation. We were also told that it was their Women's Month and they were celebrating their women with a special lunch that Sunday. We were fed a delicious, home-cooked meal and got to mingle and talk to all the ladies of the congregation. After speaking to the ladies and learning much from them about their values and their views, we exchanged emails, whats app messenger ids, Facebook information, phone numbers, etc. etc.!

We were sad to go, but we had a full day ahead of us planned with Pastor Tony and his wife, Constance. After we said our goodbyes, we headed to Kliptown in Soweto to visit our potential art gallery for our Connect Art Show.

After viewing the space for the gallery, we headed off to Pastor Tony's twin sister's house and once again were fed with a scrumptious home-cooked meal. We ate, laughed, and learned a lot from Pastor Tony and his family in regards to our numerous questions regarding Jo'Burg culture and world views and felt needs.

Day 4

We started our Monday extremely early and left the BIMS Guesthouse at 7:30am. Our driver, Vusi, took us to meet with the CCC Regional Director, Naton, in Midrand. We joined Naton's prayer meeting with his staff at the consulting firm where his offices are located.

We then had a brief meeting with Naton, where we discussed our objectives and goals while in Jo'Burg and then we headed off to the local shopping centers to meet the people of Midrand. We found that Midrand was much more diverse than Soweto, with a mixture of different ethnic backgrounds.

We met so many wonderful people, from Steve, the owner of the Carlswald Mugg 'N Bean to the security guard in the shopping center, mothers and daughters, and business men there for their midday breaks.

After we connected with Jo'Burg locals, we took a tour of a Midrand church who recently relocated to another city due to an increase in their attendance. It was a beautiful campus and interesting to see what a local church looks like in Midrand.

Our plans for tomorrow consist of meeting more locals and absorbing their culture. So far we've learned loads about the Johannesburg community and our nightly debriefing sessions are seemingly endless with reports.

We ask that you continue to pray for our health and safety. Please also pray for God's strength and wisdom to empower us and give us His courage when meeting the wonderful people of Jo'Burg. Continue to pray for the openness and receptiveness from the people of Johannesburg and that our team wakes up each morning with open hearts and minds.

Day 2

hello!  this is tayen, and i'll be sharing about our 2nd day's events:

8/11

    there are those moments, during a ministry trip, in which one can see events and connections falling into place and there is a sense of peace all throughout the situation.  this is not a tale of one of those moments.

    last night, odett, amy, and i were frantically scrambling around for an affordable driver.  we had limited information regarding the prices of drivers here in joburg, so as we sought one for ourselves, it became quickly apparent that we had under-budgeted for that expense.  having errands to run and people to meet, we were desperate to find a driver which we could afford.  after inquiring about the issue with many different people, we decided to hire the one driver we already knew for just one day and figure things out today for the rest of our stay. 

    one of the people we inquired was a particular contact, with whom we had an appointment today.  we were excited to meet him, as we anticipated that he'd be vital to our ministry and essential to the forging of healthy relationships with the community in midrand.  he was quite helpful, as well.  he advised us on all of our options in finding a driver and even proposed a suggestion involving him coming to pick us up this morning with a driver that he knew.  it sounded possible so we decided that if my team would go that route, that i would email him by the morning.  otherwise, we would find our own driver and meet him this afternoon, as planned.

    so the night was concluded and i emailed him our plans... well, almost.  we for some reason did not have his direct email address and only had his assistant's email address.  perhaps she has some sort of forwarding set up?

NOPE.

    this morning was an interesting one.

    in the middle of our devotional time, we received a phone call from our contact, saying that he was on his way with his driver and that he was close by.  startled and confused, i explained what i wrote in my email.  ever have one of those sessions of yelling, insulting, and accusing over the phone of which you don't even need to be a part?  after numerous attempts at communicating my apologies for our team's part in the kerfuffle, i realized that i was not being heard.  i simply allowed him to release his feelings, uninterrupted, and when i felt that the terror of his wrath had subsided, asked him what we should do.  he suggested that we meet in person since he had arrived at our housing at BIMS.

    may i express, at this point, how the power of God moves me?  how in tarnation was i able to keep so patient on the phone with that man?  any of my supporters reading this knows about my temper and about my reactions to injustice.  the fact that i not only kept silent toward the insults and accusations, but apologized for our part was proof of God's mighty power to transform a person.  even my team was inspired by His working.  what a Jesus, no?

    when we met with the man, the first thing he did was apologize for his temper and inappropriate behavior.  talk about God's kindness leading to repentance.  what better amo for that truth do we have than this experience?

    we ironed everything out and now we have a wonderful, budding relationship, which we are praying will be the seed from which many other fruitful relationships may grow.

    thank you for your prayers.  we could not be doing any of this ministry without you.  we felt your prayers today in and around us!  we love and appreciate you!

P.S.  

we have some marvelous little stories about our time at the mall this afternoon!  

one of them is the one about annie and me, and our run-in with an indian, hindu mother and daughter duo who own a gloria jean's coffee kiosk at the eastgate mall.  we wanted some coffee and saw a recognizable shop so ran to it, upon which tejal, the daughter, and her mother enthusiastically greeted us in appreciation of us knowing what gloria jean's is.  we struck up a conversation and mentioned that we'd like to have them bring a kiosk and do business at our art show.  they loved the idea, but later found they were unavailable next weekend.  

however, we did sit and have a wonderful conversation, over a complimentary cake.  tejal and her mother are definitely people we want to keep in touch with, as they would be great to invite to a similar event to our art show in the future.  they loved that we were offering that opportunity as a means of supporting local businesses and i could see that the concept of a church wanting to do such a thing was catching them a bit off-guard.  gotta love that shock and awe, yes?

 prayer requests:

1. team to keep walking in the Spirit at every moment
2. one heart, love and vision in the team
3. the art show next saturday to attract many joburg people with whom we can connect, learn, and love.
4. more local joburg artists!
5. our meeting with naton, the regional director of ccc in south africa, on monday to go well and for us to connect with many churches through him.
6. us to follow the Holy Spirit's ways in planting this church here in joburg.

Day 1

Our first full day in Johannesburg began with a wonderful, home cooked breakfast prepared by two of our team members, Annie Son and Odett Karam. We started our day a little late at 11am with breakfast, then some praise and devotionals.

We left BIMS Guesthouse at 1:30PM SAST to exchange some USD to ZAR at a bank located inside of the Eastgate Mall. God tested our patience with 1 teller working and an approximately 1 hour wait, but we exchanged our money and headed out to the Apartheid Museum in Goldreef City. It was an amazing, and insightful experience and we only wish we had more time there!

Once we left the museum, we headed out to a restaurant called Gramadoelas, which served traditional South African cuisine. We had an awesome experience, got to know a little bit more about our driver for the day (David), and filled our stomachs with delicious food.

After dinner, we headed back to Eastgate Mall to shop for some groceries at the Woolworth's and arrived back at BIMS around 9:00PM SAST.

Although it was a slightly uneventful day, it was a perfect opener to the amazing views and people Johannesburg has to offer and we can't wait for was God has prepared for us tomorrow!

Now Boarding...

Hello all!!!

We are sitting in the airplane waiting for our flight to take off! We are flying KLM Dutch airlines and eagerly waiting for takeoff!

Here's a short video of the team before we depart for our 21hr total flight time! If I am able to access wifi once we arrive in Amsterdam, I'll try to update once more.

Thanks for reading! And please pray for our teams safety and well being throughout the flight!

^(8/10/12 9AM Amsterdam/12am PST)The above was written before we left LAX! We have landed in Amsterdam! Despite the extremely long fight, the six of us are doing well and happy to stretch our legs while we wait for our next flight in 1hr! Another 11hrs of flying time to go so please keep us in your prayers! Thank you!

^(8/11/12 10:29AM SAST/1:29AM PST) The above addendum to the post was written at the airport in Amsterdam via WiFi. Since our connecting layover was so short, I was unable to post the previous written entries.

It is now 10:30am SAST. We arrived at IBMS in Johannesburg around 9:20pm SAST. Our driver, Wilson brought us safely to our lodging. We settled in, had a brief group discussion and prayer time, and went straight to bed! We plan on starting our day today with some group morning time (prayer, breakfast, devotionals) and then we are headed to the Apartheid museum and one of the local malls. When we return, we plan on watching a 2 hour DVD on South Africa to give us a little more insight into the Apartheid and the South African culture. I will upload all videos taken on the plane once I am able to access WiFi on my phone.

Please pray that we have a fast recovery time from our jet lag and that we learn a lot of South Africa during our visit to the museum and our first day in the city!

I'll be updating throughout the day, or later tonight so check back to see our videos and photos!

Less than 36 hours...

Hello Saddleback Joburg supporters, followers, and loved ones!

The second team will be departing in less than 36 hours for Johannesburg!!!

I would like to introduce the second team departing for Johannesburg.
We are a small group of 6 ladies, but don't be fooled, small most definitely does not mean weak.

As quoted from our beautiful and amazing prayer leader, Jean Mathers, "Girl Power combined with God Power is very effective!!"

(L to R: Carrie Lee, Odett Karam, Amy Lee, Annie Son, Teresa Karam, Tayen Kim)

I've asked the girls to write a sentence (or 2, or 3, or 10) to introduce themselves and say anything they'd like to say to our entire support team.

Annie Son

Hello! My name is Annie and I am 21 years old. I cannot express how nervous, excited, and honored and I am to be going on a PEACE trip with these wonderful ladies on my team. Through my preparations, God has revealed to me SO much about patience, team unity, FAITH, and TRUST. Without Him and the help of my awesome sisters on this team, I would not be able to do anything. I THANK MY SUPPORTERS for making this trip even possible for me to go on and just being able to partner up and join me in this groundbreaking journey with God!

Fun Facts: 1. Can do an impression of the old man of the "Dos Equis" commercial.
2. A brown belt-red stripe in Hap Ki Do.

Teresa Karam

Hi I'm Teresa Karam this is my first peace trip ever and I'm very nervous & excited. Thank you all for your prayers and support as we head to our Johannesburg destination. 

Odett Karam

Thank you to all my supporters for their donations and prayers.  It is also my first peace trip and I'm looking forward on growing my relationship with God and with the girls on this trip.

Carrie Lee

Hi I'm Carrie Lee. I'm excited to go on my 1st mission trip. Thank you to all my supporters, Joburg here we come!!

Tayen Kim (Team Leader)

Illustrator/animator and the director of the art organization, Derekstar.  Also director of a mission movement working with artists and entertainers.  Served on staff with campus crusade for 8 years in CA and Seoul, Korea.  Small group host and community leader at Saddleback. 

Brought up by zen master parents and accepted Christ at the age of 12.  Feels called to artists and to raising up leaders, and loves working with different churches and organizations. 

Amy Lee

Hello beautiful souls! This will be my first PEACE trip with Saddleback! I am 22 years old and I am utterly excited to be going to Jo'burg with these 5 gorgeous ladies. I've recently joined Saddleback Church (last October) and I believe God brought me to Saddleback for a reason and this journey (making the decision and commitment to go to Johannesburg with Saddleback) is all apart of His plan for my purpose in life. I can't wait for the things God is going to reveal to me in Jo'burg and I've been truly blessed with all the things God has already revealed to me through the entire process of joining this team and making the commitment to go on a PEACE trip. Words cannot express my gratitude to all my family and friends who have supported me from the day I expressed my interest in going on a PEACE trip, but I will shout a big fat THANK YOU to all of you for the sake of it! :)

Now that you all have a name and a face to Team #2, please keeps us in your prayers! We depart on Wednesday, August 8 at 1:40pm PST and we arrive in Johannesburg on August 9 at 9:20pm SAST.

Our total flight time is approximately 21 hours!! Please pray that we have a smooth takeoff and landing, that there are no baggage issues, and that we arrive in Johannesburg safely!

We ask for prayers concerning our health and safety; that God would continue to bless our team and watch over us.

Thank you for reading and we hope you check back on us soon!

We will be updating the blog as soon as we can, and hopefully every night with pictures and possibly even videos!

Until then..... <3