Hi everyone!
Thank you for praying for me and the team. Without your prayers, we would not have been able to do much of anything. Because you prayed, we were able to accomplish much for the Lord. James 5:16 tells us that "The effective prayer of a righteous person can accomplish great things." Many of you prayed for us and so we were enabled to go forth in God's strength. We are so glad to be home. I missed my family. Each of them somehow communicated to me their prayer and desire to see me home safely.
It was a great thing to see our group become so cohesive as we met obstacle after obstacle, never losing sight of our greater vision: to further the kingdom of God. For this we traveled over 10,000 miles, jostled along dirt roads, and hiked up hills into the homes of those in need. "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for all of us- - how will be not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:31-32
We are grateful to you for walking with us on our spiritual journey to South Africa and Swaziland. Thank you for sharing your love throughout as you have read this blog and prayed. Your contribution to this endeavor enables the work of the kingdom to proceed. God Bless!
Sam
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Home Sweet Home!
After 21 hours of flying time, we're home, safe and sound! It seems like we were gone a long time and yet it went by super fast!! I think we all could have spent more time with the children at New Life. They all touched our hearts in a big way!!
Thank you all for your prayers, as well as your financial support! You made it possible for us to minister to the people in Swaziland!! We are so grateful for the opportunity to serve God and to represent CBC as the Swaziland 2008 team!! Can't wait to share with you more about our short term mission trip!!
Siyabonga!
Penny
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
OOPS -- This is for Tuesday
Hi this is Amanda again. We were so tired yesterday that we forgot to put this entry in. So today I am acting like as if it was on Tuesday. I wanted to add that my dad (Todd) and I wrote the other one before this or under this if you scroll down.
Today was the last day that we got to see the kids at Pastor Solomon's School. We were supposed to leave the School at about 11:00 but we had stayed there even longer then we wished to. This was mainly because first, we really, really, really wanted to get more of the library done so that they would have at least part or 1/10th of a library. So the guys worked on the shelves while the girls worked on all the book stuff like alphabetizing and sorting. Once we got our shelves in there, and filled it with books, Pastor Gary had something to say to the teachers.
He told them that they were his hero, and that they are helping the least of these like how it says in Matthew 25:31-46 about how God will separate everyone like a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep in his right and put the goat in his left hand. God will praise the sheep for helping the "least of these". Pastor Gary told the teachers that he imagines them as one of those sheep. One of those sheep who will be praised for helping these kids even after we leave.
After this we didn't want to leave. I personally wanted to see the kids and stay with them, but we had to go. So, we left 3 hours late. While driving, we passed by a sign that said, "High High-Jacking risk". That got me soooo scared. Not only that but, the air was so smoky because there were many fires on the side of the highway. After we passed that area, it started to get dark. It got harder and harder to see the van in front of us. This was because of two reasons. First off, it was getting dark, and second, the cars going the opposite direction were right next to our lane. I was sooo scared because the cars looked like they were going to hit us. One last thing that shook me up was that we went in the opposite lane at least 3 times to passs slow cars/trucks!!! I thought that my dad was going crazy!!! I thought that we were going to get hit by the cars that were going the opposite lane then us!!!. Of course we are alright now so that says that my dad knew what he was doing. So Cya in a couple of days!!!
-Amanda
Today was the last day that we got to see the kids at Pastor Solomon's School. We were supposed to leave the School at about 11:00 but we had stayed there even longer then we wished to. This was mainly because first, we really, really, really wanted to get more of the library done so that they would have at least part or 1/10th of a library. So the guys worked on the shelves while the girls worked on all the book stuff like alphabetizing and sorting. Once we got our shelves in there, and filled it with books, Pastor Gary had something to say to the teachers.
He told them that they were his hero, and that they are helping the least of these like how it says in Matthew 25:31-46 about how God will separate everyone like a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep in his right and put the goat in his left hand. God will praise the sheep for helping the "least of these". Pastor Gary told the teachers that he imagines them as one of those sheep. One of those sheep who will be praised for helping these kids even after we leave.
After this we didn't want to leave. I personally wanted to see the kids and stay with them, but we had to go. So, we left 3 hours late. While driving, we passed by a sign that said, "High High-Jacking risk". That got me soooo scared. Not only that but, the air was so smoky because there were many fires on the side of the highway. After we passed that area, it started to get dark. It got harder and harder to see the van in front of us. This was because of two reasons. First off, it was getting dark, and second, the cars going the opposite direction were right next to our lane. I was sooo scared because the cars looked like they were going to hit us. One last thing that shook me up was that we went in the opposite lane at least 3 times to passs slow cars/trucks!!! I thought that my dad was going crazy!!! I thought that we were going to get hit by the cars that were going the opposite lane then us!!!. Of course we are alright now so that says that my dad knew what he was doing. So Cya in a couple of days!!!
-Amanda
OOPS -- This was what we did Monday
Hi all,
Todd wanted to post this message to y'all but wasn't able to log in correctly, so here I am now!
Monday, we got to go to Pastor Chomba's Hope House. It was a lot of fun! We got to get dirty playing in the dirt! (in other words we worked in the garden) There is a lot to do in the garden. We planted new seedlings as well as weeded and watered. We also dug new trenches for more plants to grow in. While half of the team was doing the gardening, the other half was taking the kernels off of the maize that had been drying since May. While you may be thinking that that is an easy task, it is not, and we have the raw thumbs and cuts to prove it. The day was a beautiful day and we talked story and listened to music as we sat on Pastor Chomba's porch while taking off the kernels of corn. Maggie (Pastor Chomba's wife) made us a delicious lunch then we all went to home visitations. Because of our supporters, we were able to buy food for 5 families that have a difficult time putting food on their tables. We were able to pray with the families and they were very blessed and thankful, but we were so blessed by their kindness and hospitality. In Swaziland, the people are so friendly, it reminds me of when I am back home in Hawaii where people wave to you even if they do not know them and they invite you in to talk story. Before we said our goodbyes to Pastor Chomba and his family, we had a wonderful prayer time with many blessings all around. You could really feel God's presence there.
Todd wanted to post this message to y'all but wasn't able to log in correctly, so here I am now!
Monday, we got to go to Pastor Chomba's Hope House. It was a lot of fun! We got to get dirty playing in the dirt! (in other words we worked in the garden) There is a lot to do in the garden. We planted new seedlings as well as weeded and watered. We also dug new trenches for more plants to grow in. While half of the team was doing the gardening, the other half was taking the kernels off of the maize that had been drying since May. While you may be thinking that that is an easy task, it is not, and we have the raw thumbs and cuts to prove it. The day was a beautiful day and we talked story and listened to music as we sat on Pastor Chomba's porch while taking off the kernels of corn. Maggie (Pastor Chomba's wife) made us a delicious lunch then we all went to home visitations. Because of our supporters, we were able to buy food for 5 families that have a difficult time putting food on their tables. We were able to pray with the families and they were very blessed and thankful, but we were so blessed by their kindness and hospitality. In Swaziland, the people are so friendly, it reminds me of when I am back home in Hawaii where people wave to you even if they do not know them and they invite you in to talk story. Before we said our goodbyes to Pastor Chomba and his family, we had a wonderful prayer time with many blessings all around. You could really feel God's presence there.
This is what I saw all day today...
j/k
But we did go to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve and saw lots of different animals. We also had a great tour guide who shared a wealth of knowledge about all the animals. More pictures and video to come as we share them upon our return.
We are leaving tomorrow 7pm Joburg time return 1pm on Friday into LAX. Please pray for us!!
See you all soon!
Seiji
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Hope House
Hi everyone, this is Steph. Our time here in Swaziland has been amazing so far. It has definitely been a rollercoaster of a ride so far, both physically and emotionally. But one hug, smile, or word from the kids makes it all worth it. I wish you could all see how happy and grateful the kids here are after receiving the quilts, socks, toys and most of all the attention and love we have been giving them.
On Saturday, we had the privelege of working with Pastor Chomba of Hope House Orphanage. Every Saturday he has a "Soup Kitchen" type outreach at his church and feeds about 200 kids lunch. These families and kids walk from what we would consider really far distances just to have a small meal. We were able to serve the long, never ending line of kids. There were so many kids that the ones towards the end of the line had to wait for other kids to finish, so they could use their plate!
After the soup kitchen, Pastor Chomba and one of the boys that stays with him, Colane, took us on a couple home visitations. We visited homesteads, which is like a mini community of single room homes that all belong to the same family of many generations. It was amazing to see their homes made out of sticks, rocks, mud and cow manuere. The first family that we visited was very warm and welcoming. There were so many of us, that we could no fit into their house, so they brought out all their benches outside so we could sit while we talked and prayed with them. The grandfather, several small children and a younger woman were there. We asked them if they had any prayer requests, and the grandfather requested prayer for his knees. We gathered around him and layed hands on him, and asked the Lord for healing. As I prayed for the man, Colane was interpretting it into Siswati. It was cool hearing my prayer in another language. The younger woman shared that she was a new Christian, and asked that we pray for her to grow in her walk with God. After praying for her, Rosie shared with the woman that she too was a new Christian, and encouraged her to keep seeking Him.
The next homestead we visited also had many small children, and a few younger women. We didn't see too many men around. We squeezed into their tiny house and we noticed that none of the kids had shoes or jackets on, and it was freezing outside. They told us that they were all sick and not feeling well. As we were praying for them, you could feel the presence of God in the room. After we finished praying for them, my mom (Penny), remembered that she had some extra quilts left over from New Life in the car. We were able to give each child a quilt, and as we were driving away, they were all standing outside with their quilts wrapped around them waving goodbye to us. We were wondering what we were going to do with the extra quilts, but God knew all along that they would be the ones to recieve them.
Today (Sunday), half of us went to Pastor Solomon's church, and half of us went to Pastor Chomba's church. I was among the group that attended Pastor Chomba's church, and let me tell you, those people know how to worship the Lord with their whole heart and soul. The way they sing and dance for the Lord is amazing. The air was thick with the presence of the Holy Spirit as people were speaking in tongues, receiving words from God and just moving in the Spirit. Pastor Chomba is also a very dynamic speaker to say the least. He really gets fired up for God. When you talk with him in person he is very calm and gentle, but when he gets up to the pulpit, his energy and style of preaching are the complete opposite.
After church, we were able to hand out the quilts to the children at Hope House Orphanage. They were so grateful and happy. Pastor Chomba asked the kids if anyone wanted to say anything to us, and one boy prayed for us. It was really moving to hear him pray for us and thank God for us. Even though we are the ones giving to these kids, we get soo much more in return.
When we headed back into town, we went to the grocery store to buy food for the families we visited in the homesteads. We bought rice, cooking oil, beans, peanut butter, bread, apples, sugar, salt, and some cookies. I never knew you could have so much fun grocery shopping! I guess its because it is for people who need it and we know how much of a blessing it will be to them.
Tomorrow we are going back to Hope House to work with Pastor Chomba again and deliver the groceries to the families. Sorry this is soo long! I could talk all day about what God has been doing here in Swaziland! It is sad that our time here is coming to an end soon. Pray that the Lord would bless Hope House Orphanage and the surrounding community, and that we would be able to touch more lives and be a living Jesus to the people of Swaziland!
Because of Him, Steph
On Saturday, we had the privelege of working with Pastor Chomba of Hope House Orphanage. Every Saturday he has a "Soup Kitchen" type outreach at his church and feeds about 200 kids lunch. These families and kids walk from what we would consider really far distances just to have a small meal. We were able to serve the long, never ending line of kids. There were so many kids that the ones towards the end of the line had to wait for other kids to finish, so they could use their plate!
After the soup kitchen, Pastor Chomba and one of the boys that stays with him, Colane, took us on a couple home visitations. We visited homesteads, which is like a mini community of single room homes that all belong to the same family of many generations. It was amazing to see their homes made out of sticks, rocks, mud and cow manuere. The first family that we visited was very warm and welcoming. There were so many of us, that we could no fit into their house, so they brought out all their benches outside so we could sit while we talked and prayed with them. The grandfather, several small children and a younger woman were there. We asked them if they had any prayer requests, and the grandfather requested prayer for his knees. We gathered around him and layed hands on him, and asked the Lord for healing. As I prayed for the man, Colane was interpretting it into Siswati. It was cool hearing my prayer in another language. The younger woman shared that she was a new Christian, and asked that we pray for her to grow in her walk with God. After praying for her, Rosie shared with the woman that she too was a new Christian, and encouraged her to keep seeking Him.
The next homestead we visited also had many small children, and a few younger women. We didn't see too many men around. We squeezed into their tiny house and we noticed that none of the kids had shoes or jackets on, and it was freezing outside. They told us that they were all sick and not feeling well. As we were praying for them, you could feel the presence of God in the room. After we finished praying for them, my mom (Penny), remembered that she had some extra quilts left over from New Life in the car. We were able to give each child a quilt, and as we were driving away, they were all standing outside with their quilts wrapped around them waving goodbye to us. We were wondering what we were going to do with the extra quilts, but God knew all along that they would be the ones to recieve them.
Today (Sunday), half of us went to Pastor Solomon's church, and half of us went to Pastor Chomba's church. I was among the group that attended Pastor Chomba's church, and let me tell you, those people know how to worship the Lord with their whole heart and soul. The way they sing and dance for the Lord is amazing. The air was thick with the presence of the Holy Spirit as people were speaking in tongues, receiving words from God and just moving in the Spirit. Pastor Chomba is also a very dynamic speaker to say the least. He really gets fired up for God. When you talk with him in person he is very calm and gentle, but when he gets up to the pulpit, his energy and style of preaching are the complete opposite.
After church, we were able to hand out the quilts to the children at Hope House Orphanage. They were so grateful and happy. Pastor Chomba asked the kids if anyone wanted to say anything to us, and one boy prayed for us. It was really moving to hear him pray for us and thank God for us. Even though we are the ones giving to these kids, we get soo much more in return.
When we headed back into town, we went to the grocery store to buy food for the families we visited in the homesteads. We bought rice, cooking oil, beans, peanut butter, bread, apples, sugar, salt, and some cookies. I never knew you could have so much fun grocery shopping! I guess its because it is for people who need it and we know how much of a blessing it will be to them.
Tomorrow we are going back to Hope House to work with Pastor Chomba again and deliver the groceries to the families. Sorry this is soo long! I could talk all day about what God has been doing here in Swaziland! It is sad that our time here is coming to an end soon. Pray that the Lord would bless Hope House Orphanage and the surrounding community, and that we would be able to touch more lives and be a living Jesus to the people of Swaziland!
Because of Him, Steph
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Hear Us From Heaven
Hi, it's me again!! I just wanted to share with you some lyrics from a dance (body worship) that some of the older girls at New Life performed to yesterday. I was so moved by what the girls did I could have bawled my eyes out!! (Russ keeps laughing at me cuz I seem to be crying an awful lot, but it's tears of joy that keep flowing when I see God's love in the children's lives!). It was incredible and one of the highlights of the trip for me so far!! Steph found the song and lyrics online.
Hear Us From Heaven
Lord, hear our cry
Come heal our land
Breathe life into these dry and thirsty souls
Lord, hear our prayer
Forgive our sin
And as we call on your name
Would you make this a place
for your glory to dwell.
Open the blind eyes
Unlock the deaf ears
Come to your people
As we draw near.
Hear us from heaven
Touch our generation
We are your people
Crying out in desperation
These children in Africa are God's children and they need our help. I am so thankful to God that I can be used by Him to serve these children. I'm praying that God's precious love and His perfect peace will cover them and protect them always! Please continue to pray for the children at New Life School and Hope House Orphanage, as well as for the team as we continue serving the Lord!!
Siyabonga,
Penny
Hear Us From Heaven
Lord, hear our cry
Come heal our land
Breathe life into these dry and thirsty souls
Lord, hear our prayer
Forgive our sin
And as we call on your name
Would you make this a place
for your glory to dwell.
Open the blind eyes
Unlock the deaf ears
Come to your people
As we draw near.
Hear us from heaven
Touch our generation
We are your people
Crying out in desperation
These children in Africa are God's children and they need our help. I am so thankful to God that I can be used by Him to serve these children. I'm praying that God's precious love and His perfect peace will cover them and protect them always! Please continue to pray for the children at New Life School and Hope House Orphanage, as well as for the team as we continue serving the Lord!!
Siyabonga,
Penny
New Life is all Wrapped in His Love
Sanibonani from Swaziland!!
It's Saturday night and I can finally share with you about giving the quilts to the children and teachers at New Life International School!!! I've been trying to post to the blog but we've been coming back to our rooms so late and I've been too tired!! So sorry for the delay!!
We arrived at New Life on Thursday morning with a great big huge welcome!! The little ones were outside and came running to the car and gave big hugs to us all as we got out of the car!!! Their faces were so happy to see us!!! It's been amazing to see the children all week long and because so many of them (50) live at school, we were able to spend more time with them!! We've been able to pull some toys and balls out of the stuff that was sent in the container and the kids are having a blast!!!
Back to the quilts . . . I don't know how to explain it!! I keep rewriting what I've written! I think the pictures will speak for me!! Sorry . . . God's love was everywhere I looked that day and I'm so grateful that He used me to help spread His love through the quilts to these children!! Thanks for reading!! With a blessed heart, Penny
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Swaziland is Pretty Fun!:)
Hi. This is Bethany Shimoda writing a blog for the first time.:D So, today is July, 8, 2008, obviously, and it is around 9:30. Today, I helped teach the 5th and 6th graders how to sew backpacks. I also played with, drew a few pictures with, and took many, many, many pictures with the kids at the school. These kids at the school are so wonderful and kind; they all want to be your friend. All you have to do is smile, wave, and say hi to someone, and they will become your new best friend. O, guess what, I helped cheer up a little preschool girl because she was crying and so I helped her find her grandma. She was so cute! Anyways, ya, the kids are so great. Many of them, especially the little ones, come up to you and follow you and just stare at you till you notice them and become their friend. I've never seen people so outgoing and kind. So the oldest kid at the school is around my age, 16 years old, and their grades go from preschool to 6th grade. The grade doen't go by age like in America, but it goes by how smart you are and how much you can handle. O ya, right now we are tearing off the lables from the quilts and replacing them with new ones, which is taking us a long time. We are also gathering all of the donation items like TY Beanie Babies, tooth brushes, all the quilts(when we finish), socks, and much more that I can't really remember right now. O ya, I just want to say, I'm soooooooooooooo glad that I am able to have this oportunity to serve the Lord, spend time with the kids, make new friends, and get to know my team members better. I really encourage everyone who is reading this to think about maybe considering going on a missions trip in the future. You have no idea how it is like till you actually experience it. It is fantastic! And I LOVE it! I hope to do another mission's trip in the future. So tomorrow, we are going to do a VBS for the kids at New Life. Amanda and I will be helping lead worship 3 times and acting a skit 3 times. I amd totally going to loose my voice. haha, o well. So, please continue to pray for us for what ever you think of like keeping our health and strengh after every busy day staying up till, really late. Also pray for safe car trips on the other side of the car and the other side of the road compared to America. Also pray that we can remember the really difficult names of the kids. Ya, so please pray for those things and what ever you can think of. O ya, for my close friends and brothers and sisters, I'm not really alowed to do shout outs on these blogs, so, you know who you are! Thank you again for supporting us and I really can't wait to write again. O, I also can't wait till I get back home and tell you all about my trip and show you all of the pictures! Well, I'll see you later. I LOVE YOU GUYS! AND I LOVE THE LORD!:D BYE!:D
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
HERE AT LAST!!!
Well we finally made it to Swaziland yesterday. The drive didn't seem that long cause my brother and sister (Bethany and Kyle) and I were having a lot of fun on the long car ride there. Today we came to New Life and boy I was in for a suprise!!! There were so many kids then I expected, and all of them are staring at you. The weird thing is that many of these kids are about the same age as me because I am 14. So if you think it is awkward to teach someone who can't understand half the things you are saying, try to have most of the kids be the same age as you and that problem at the same time!!! Something that was also very interesting is that the names of all the kids there. I can only pronounce a hand full of then and those are Faith, Sarah, and Austin. All the other names are so hard to pronounce that I'll show you some...Sijabulile, Banele, Ceiumusa, Sibahi, Wakhile, Sibonelo, and Derrik. Try so say some of those names, and some even have a clicky sound to them too!!! Today our group tried to teach the 5th and 6th graders to knit, crochet, and sew. There was problems with the manual sewing machine, and at the end of the day we had 5 of the 10 sewing machines still working.
After school we let the kids who live at the school draw, and play with different games from the container that was sent here by you guys. They had fun playing with Candyland, Sorry (every minute you would here kids saying "SORRY"), Pirate Island, and another game that I forgot. The kids also gave me and Bethany all of their drawings to keep. One person even drew me!!! (I don't know if that's a good thing or bad if you look at the picture). Well we are having lots of fun here sharing about Jesus' love.
Keep praying for our health and that we trust in the lord in eveything that we do. :D
-Amanda Shimoda
After school we let the kids who live at the school draw, and play with different games from the container that was sent here by you guys. They had fun playing with Candyland, Sorry (every minute you would here kids saying "SORRY"), Pirate Island, and another game that I forgot. The kids also gave me and Bethany all of their drawings to keep. One person even drew me!!! (I don't know if that's a good thing or bad if you look at the picture). Well we are having lots of fun here sharing about Jesus' love.
Keep praying for our health and that we trust in the lord in eveything that we do. :D
-Amanda Shimoda
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Prayer Request
Today, Sunday, the plan was to drive to Soweto to visit Pastor Themba and Buhle's church. We received word that our lost baggage was on it's way. We waited for the bags to arrive thinking they would be at our hotel soon. We waited and waited. We finally decided to drive to Soweto and come back for our bags. They ended their service early so that we could leave as we were planning on driving to Swaziland at noon. I called the hotel to see if our bags had been delivered and praise God, they were there!! We were so glad!! We headed back to the hotel, loaded up the cars and were on our way!!! So we thought. . . Russ' van would not start!! His battery was dead. We had to call the car rental company and they were going to send a replacement car. This was about 1:30. The car was supposed to come within the hour. It ended up to be 3:30 when we finally got the new car. Our goal was to leave early enough to arrive into Swaziland during daylight and were worried about our safety as we approached the border, and since it was already 3:30 we didnt' want to take any risks as things were not going smoothly. So we are staying in Joburg for one more night and will drive out in the morning. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day for us!! Please pray for a safe drive and that nothing else will prevent us from getting to Swaziland. We are trusting in the Lord and looking at the positive side of things. The extra time we've had here has been restful for the team.
Please pray for us! I hope our troubles are over and it's smooth sailing from now on!! The team will be able to communicate with you via our blog as soon as we are in Swaziland, so please visit again this week for more updates!!!
With a humble heart,
Penny
Sanibonani from South Africa
After an uneventful 22 hours of flying time, we arrived safely into Johannesburg an hour early . . . then the drama began!! We were without six of our bags!! Luckily five of them were bags with quilts and supplies. The sixth missing piece was Steph's personal baggage!! After filing our lost baggage claims, we proceeded to pick up our rental cars and found out they only had 2 of the 3 Kombis (large vans) that we had reserved. We ended up with 2 Kombis and 1 minivan. It has worked out to our benefit as the minivan is automatic so Russ feels better about driving!!! Next we went to purchase a Sim card for our phones and ended up purchasing two new phones as they would not work. All of this took 4-5 hours!! It ended up to be a good thing as it was easier for our drivers to adjust to driving on the opposite side of the street with less traffic. The team was very patient through all of this and I'm very grateful for that!! It was a long journey from LAX to our hotel in Johannesburg.
Saturday was a great day!! I had planned a surprise field trip for the team! We went to The Lion Park!! It was awesome as we saw zebras, giraffes, lions, antelope, wildebeest, cheetahs, hyenas and an ostrich!! It was similar to Lion Country Safari except we actually saw animals. Along the lion route, the ranger threw pieces of meat towards our car and the lions came right up and ate it. They were only 5 feet away from us!! The highlight was going to Cub World where we were able to pet lion cubs!!
We were blessed to have as our driving guides, Pastor Themba and his wife, Buhle. They took us to the community where they live in Slovoville. This was an eye-opening experience for all of us!! The children all ran to the tiny room they call their church when they heard singing! They were so happy to sing to Jesus for us!! Our hearts were amazed that they were so happy when the whole community is in such poor condition. They don't see the broken chairs, the glassless windows, the lack of electricity or feel the freezing cold of winter that we felt or saw. We were all very humbled and I was brought to tears to see Jesus through them!! After teaching them Deep, Deep, Down, Pastor Gary ended with a prayer for all of them. It was experience our team will never forget.
Saturday was a great day!! I had planned a surprise field trip for the team! We went to The Lion Park!! It was awesome as we saw zebras, giraffes, lions, antelope, wildebeest, cheetahs, hyenas and an ostrich!! It was similar to Lion Country Safari except we actually saw animals. Along the lion route, the ranger threw pieces of meat towards our car and the lions came right up and ate it. They were only 5 feet away from us!! The highlight was going to Cub World where we were able to pet lion cubs!!
We were blessed to have as our driving guides, Pastor Themba and his wife, Buhle. They took us to the community where they live in Slovoville. This was an eye-opening experience for all of us!! The children all ran to the tiny room they call their church when they heard singing! They were so happy to sing to Jesus for us!! Our hearts were amazed that they were so happy when the whole community is in such poor condition. They don't see the broken chairs, the glassless windows, the lack of electricity or feel the freezing cold of winter that we felt or saw. We were all very humbled and I was brought to tears to see Jesus through them!! After teaching them Deep, Deep, Down, Pastor Gary ended with a prayer for all of them. It was experience our team will never forget.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Tomorrow is the big day....6 hours 30 minutes before we leave
Been running around all day, trying to do things I should have done weeks ago. The gift of procrastination is one that Satan created. I am trying to pack, calm the excited children, and remember last minute details. My brain seems sluggish. Too excited I guess.
Jay will come to pick me up at 2:30 AM, just 3 hours from now, then on to CBC to pick up Gary, Val, Rosie and Gladys.
6 hours 30 minutes...wow.
Pray for us.
Sam
Jay will come to pick me up at 2:30 AM, just 3 hours from now, then on to CBC to pick up Gary, Val, Rosie and Gladys.
6 hours 30 minutes...wow.
Pray for us.
Sam
1 day and counting....
Tomorrow is the big day. In reality, each day is a big day. Each day holds promise and purpose from God our Father. Each day is uniquely special and only what we choose to make of it changes who we are. God presents us with new challenges each day. Each day He promises not to give us more than we can handle. Each day we must rise to the occasion.
OK, enough already. We packed last night at CBC. All the quilts, library supplies, and craft items had to fit into the bags we had. Since there are 14 of us, there could only be 14 bags. Each bag can weigh no more than 50 pounds or there is a fee. Our own personal luggage with clothes, books, etc. will come later. Someone brought a scale to weigh it. Each quilt had to be matched with the picture of the person who made it, and the card they wrote for the recipient. They were pinned together then squeezed into these large zip lock bags. I know someone fit 12 into one bag. Wow. Jay and Naomi were there helping load the bags into the van they will use to take us to the airport.
I think we got it.
It is time for me to do the last minute running around too. Now, where is that neck pillow?
The next time I write will be in Swaziland.
God bless and pray for a safe journey.
Sa,
OK, enough already. We packed last night at CBC. All the quilts, library supplies, and craft items had to fit into the bags we had. Since there are 14 of us, there could only be 14 bags. Each bag can weigh no more than 50 pounds or there is a fee. Our own personal luggage with clothes, books, etc. will come later. Someone brought a scale to weigh it. Each quilt had to be matched with the picture of the person who made it, and the card they wrote for the recipient. They were pinned together then squeezed into these large zip lock bags. I know someone fit 12 into one bag. Wow. Jay and Naomi were there helping load the bags into the van they will use to take us to the airport.
I think we got it.
It is time for me to do the last minute running around too. Now, where is that neck pillow?
The next time I write will be in Swaziland.
God bless and pray for a safe journey.
Sa,
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Two days and counting....
Today is Tuesday, July 1, 2008 and we have just two days left. We leave on July 3 from LAX to JFK at 6:00 AM. This means getting there about two hours ahead of time for security check in, baggage check, and the last minute running around. Four AM is just a weeee bit early for me to be awake not to mention getting there beforehand. Jay has graciously offered to drive, even pick me up at my home to not awaken the sleeping children.
We will be meeting tonight to try to fit all the quilts into our luggage. Some of us have no second piece of luggage, and the quilts will be in those second pieces. We will be meeting tonight at 7:00 tonight.
Pray for safety, organization, and grace.
Thanks,
Sam
We will be meeting tonight to try to fit all the quilts into our luggage. Some of us have no second piece of luggage, and the quilts will be in those second pieces. We will be meeting tonight at 7:00 tonight.
Pray for safety, organization, and grace.
Thanks,
Sam
Sunday, June 29, 2008
4 days and counting.....
Today was commissioning Sunday at Cerritos Baptist Church. The two teams going this summer are to the Philippines and to Swaziland. After the commissioning, pictures, and all church potluck came the last minute details of the trip. We are 4 days off and counting. By the grace of God and the generosity of our church, I think we have met our financial goal. Penny, one of our two team leaders, gave a touching brief talk on the quilts they have handmade and who they might go to: either a child or a teacher. My heart swelled with A.n.t.i.c.i.p.a.t.i.a.t.i.o.n. I am looking forward to seeing who will get which quilt. Each of the quilts represent so much time and love. God will bless those who had a hand in producing these quilts of love.
Thank you each one, whether you sewed a little, cut fabric, or made the whole quilt. Every bit helped. We will be the fortunate recipients to see the quilts going to those in need. For those of you staying people behind, thank you.
May God bless you as you seek His face. Remember to pray for us.
Sam
Thank you each one, whether you sewed a little, cut fabric, or made the whole quilt. Every bit helped. We will be the fortunate recipients to see the quilts going to those in need. For those of you staying people behind, thank you.
May God bless you as you seek His face. Remember to pray for us.
Sam
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
2008 Swaziland Team
Back Row L to R: Seiji Akiyama, Russ Takahata, Gary Tawa, Todd Shimoda,
Kyle Shimoda, Sam Ha
Middle Row L to R: Gladys Kamikawa, Rosie Tamanaha, Valerie Tawa,
Bethany Shimoda, Penny Takeda
Front Row L to R: Stephanie Takeda, Amanda Shimoda, Liz Shimoda
Great team photo! Thanks for the picture Penny!
Great team photo! Thanks for the picture Penny!
8 days and counting...
Waiting is one of those things I try to teach my kids whenever we are in line somewhere, whether it is the grocery store, department store, or even the library. Waiting is one of those things every individual on earth does. Waiting is one of those traits learned the hard way. For the most part, I do not mind waiting. But...this waiting...counting down the days until departure...this type of waiting is qualitatively different. It is like waiting for the sun to break after a cloudy day. So, this waiting has reminded me of waiting for an opportunity for service.
Serving does not have to wait. It can be today.
Right now.
So, although much remains to be done, waiting is a good thing. While waiting, I can pray. I read part of a book called The Ten Second Prayer. You can pray any day, any time, for any thing. Who knows? This could be the prayer that changes a life. So, pray.
Pray for peace in the land. Pray for my pastor and his wife. Pray for myself to have a clean heart and a right spirit. Pray for salvation for the children. Pray the famine is lifted in South Africa. Pray that our words may touch children's hearts, as I know they will touch ours. Pray that we have a safe journey. Pray for the missionaries that do this daily. Pray for the individuals supporting us. Pray for our families that remain behind.
I could go on and on. Hopefully you get the idea, so take a moment right now to pray for one of these things or one of your own requests.
Did you? Thank you.
In Revelation 5:8, it tells of the prayers of the saints are offered up before the Lamb (Jesus) . Your prayers may seem at times unheard, yet scripture tells us they are not. God's ways are not our ways.
Think on these things.
God bless.
Sam
Serving does not have to wait. It can be today.
Right now.
So, although much remains to be done, waiting is a good thing. While waiting, I can pray. I read part of a book called The Ten Second Prayer. You can pray any day, any time, for any thing. Who knows? This could be the prayer that changes a life. So, pray.
Pray for peace in the land. Pray for my pastor and his wife. Pray for myself to have a clean heart and a right spirit. Pray for salvation for the children. Pray the famine is lifted in South Africa. Pray that our words may touch children's hearts, as I know they will touch ours. Pray that we have a safe journey. Pray for the missionaries that do this daily. Pray for the individuals supporting us. Pray for our families that remain behind.
I could go on and on. Hopefully you get the idea, so take a moment right now to pray for one of these things or one of your own requests.
Did you? Thank you.
In Revelation 5:8, it tells of the prayers of the saints are offered up before the Lamb (Jesus) . Your prayers may seem at times unheard, yet scripture tells us they are not. God's ways are not our ways.
Think on these things.
God bless.
Sam
Sunday, June 22, 2008
11 days until we leave for Swaziland
Hi Everyone!
We shared with the kids at Cerritos Baptist today and passed out prayer wheels to our supporters at CBC. We need all the prayers we can get! So thanks for praying for us! Amanda, Bethany and Kyle Shimoda led our sharing with the kids. They did a great job! Our kids are getting to know quite a bit about Swaziland with 3 teams having gone and Pastor Solomon and Grace coming last year.
I am trying to improve my knitting skills so I will be able to teach the kids knitting. I also need to practice my crocheting too! I am excited and worried too. About health and safety of us and of the kids at home alone, kids leaving for the Philippines mission trip and Tim going back to Miami before we return. Health of Sam and Gary. Gary had 2 bouts of dizziness just today and two other incidences in the last 5-6 months. Hopefully everything will be fine.
OK, this is enough for now to check if this works!
Valerie
We shared with the kids at Cerritos Baptist today and passed out prayer wheels to our supporters at CBC. We need all the prayers we can get! So thanks for praying for us! Amanda, Bethany and Kyle Shimoda led our sharing with the kids. They did a great job! Our kids are getting to know quite a bit about Swaziland with 3 teams having gone and Pastor Solomon and Grace coming last year.
I am trying to improve my knitting skills so I will be able to teach the kids knitting. I also need to practice my crocheting too! I am excited and worried too. About health and safety of us and of the kids at home alone, kids leaving for the Philippines mission trip and Tim going back to Miami before we return. Health of Sam and Gary. Gary had 2 bouts of dizziness just today and two other incidences in the last 5-6 months. Hopefully everything will be fine.
OK, this is enough for now to check if this works!
Valerie
Preparation...eleven days and counting
We are in the final stages of preparing for our two week trip to Swaziland. Swaziland is a nation with one of the highest incidences of AIDS in the world, around 39 percent. Children are growing up without parents. Children the age of ten and younger may be the primary caretaker for their brothers and sisters. There is little hope for them. Into this environment, we hope to provide an answer through Jesus.
Our fourteen member team will be going in a two stage trip over 25 hours to South Africa. There we will be helping Pastor Solomon with the New Life International Institute by distributing hand-made quilts for each child and teacher, establishing a library, building bookshelves, running a Vacation Bible School, teaching sewing, knitting, and croqueting, as well as working in their garden. We will do whatever needs to be done in order to reach the hearts of the children for Jesus. It is because of the generosity of the people here that we were able to gather resources to ship in a 40 foot container to Swaziland. It has arrived safely! Praise God. Because of the joint effort of the people, ministry goes ahead. All people involved, those going and those staying can have a hand by praying for our safe journey, effective ministry, and staying well.
We can never know how much Jesus cares
With what little can we then compare
His grace, his blood, his death, the cross
All this to save the dying lost
We go to share, we go to care
To go because of you.
Thank you all for your participation.
In Christ,
Sam
Our fourteen member team will be going in a two stage trip over 25 hours to South Africa. There we will be helping Pastor Solomon with the New Life International Institute by distributing hand-made quilts for each child and teacher, establishing a library, building bookshelves, running a Vacation Bible School, teaching sewing, knitting, and croqueting, as well as working in their garden. We will do whatever needs to be done in order to reach the hearts of the children for Jesus. It is because of the generosity of the people here that we were able to gather resources to ship in a 40 foot container to Swaziland. It has arrived safely! Praise God. Because of the joint effort of the people, ministry goes ahead. All people involved, those going and those staying can have a hand by praying for our safe journey, effective ministry, and staying well.
We can never know how much Jesus cares
With what little can we then compare
His grace, his blood, his death, the cross
All this to save the dying lost
We go to share, we go to care
To go because of you.
Thank you all for your participation.
In Christ,
Sam
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