Street Invaders South Africa 2011 - Part 1

WOW What an absolutely amazing incredibly awesome couple of weeks it has been, boot camp kicked off for the leaders, Saturday July 24^th and it has been a non stop action packed thrill adventure. I look back and feel remorse over the fact that I have not adequately journalled and will likely have forgotten some amazing detail. Monday night service was our first opportunity to really get together in worship and it was awesome, there was no need to “warm-up” to the Holy Spirit these kids came hungry and seeking His presence. As always God was faithful to show up and we saw healings and inspiration through out the entire group. This would set the tone for the rest of the week passionate speaker after passionate speaker shared their powerful Words at each chapel session and worship service and the students and leaders were equipped with tools to show Christ’s love and the boldness to use them. I think in total we saw 15 people healed of various ailments including color blindness and a torn ligament not to mention a powerful prophetic anointing as many of the students would pray and prophecy over each other.

My South Africa team is amazing! Each of these kids has a gift for exhortation so put them in a room together and it is immediately filled with laughter and fun. Each of them is so willing to go and grab a hold of what God has for them, it has been an awesome blessing to see.

We left Saturday after lunch to begin our incredible journey. Setting out towards Calgary we drove along with the team headed to Strathmore. Dropping them off to begin their adventure we continued on our own. Calgary included a quick stop at Danny Delong’s place to drop off Sheldon and grab a bite to eat. Thanks so much Danny for your hospitality and Alicia, Jessica wont soon forget you lol.

Soon we were on our way to the airport prepared to board our planes and off to AFRICA!!!! A three hour wait at the airport and a ten hour flight later we landed in London. This was probably my favorite plane trip of any street invaders mission I have ever lead, I have never and so many inexperienced flyers and so many excited kids as we left the ground and climbed altitude into the sky. The look on Maranda’s face as she peered out the window was absolutely priceless and is etched as one of my favorite memories of the trip already. It also stands as a perfect example of why I lead this trip and why this team is so awesome! They are all being pushed WAY WAY out of their comfort zone but instead of pushing back they are just going with it and saying “Jesus, I will go” I wish more people would embrace this amazing attitude it is so heart filling.

We had a six hour stop in London which we filled with a lot of naps and window shopping but also used it as an opportunity to share testimonies of what God has done in our lives. Again these kids impress me by willing to be real and share their lives good, bad or ugly, its really cool and impressive.

Finally we boarded a plane and were on our way to Capetown! It was a long haul but we arrived safe and sound passed through the border without issue, thank you all who prayed this is always a nervous process for me so I was relieved when we got through and saw Piet and Ilse waiting for us past the gate J

Our first day in Capetown was fairly relaxed as we were all incredibly jet lagged, but again it was so fun to watch as many of the kids experienced the ocean for the first time as we stopped for ice cream along the beach. Piet and Ilse hosted a welcome Braii (South African BBQ) and we all met a lot of new people and learned how to play African drums, it was a super fun evening. We got set up with our billets and went to bed fairly early which was great because all were exhausted.

We were up early the next day and off to begin ministering, our first stop, Monument High School, this is our first stop every year and is always encouraging but this year something different happened in the midst of closing the assembly with a message Brittany gave a call to prayer, several students responded and we ended up having an incredible prayer time culminating in ten kids giving their lives to Christ. Very cool indeed! We then spent some time with the Year of Service for Christ (YSFC) team, a team we have partnered with to minister this week, they already do work in many of the schools we are working with and will be following up in the schools where we can get doors opened for them. We may not be able to be here more than two weeks but the impact we have remains year long by the relationships we help those that we work with build.

Yesterday was an incredibly full day we were up and gone by 6am and hit up four schools before lunch exhausting but an incredible 18 kids came to accept the love of Jesus into their hearts, its not about numbers but when you see the kingdom growing and the impact of Christ’s love you cannot help but to be encouraged. The day did not end there after lunch in the YSFC office in Stellenbosh we visited the crèche (daycare) that we painted last year, it was great to see those beautiful little brown faces smile as we played with the children and just got to spend a little time loving those that too often get forgotten. Heading back to Stellenbosh we spent the rest of the afternoon learning Luke 10 evangelism and what it means to live a life blessing others and what it means to follow Christ’s teaching of missional lifestyle shown in Luke 10. After we went and chilled at a youth coffee house it was a great time and we got to meet a lot of awesome people as well we performed our skit for them and just had an all around awesome time. It was particularly encouraging for me as I am planning a Lifeforce team to come and work in this area of the city and it was great to make the connection and learn that they would love our assistance.

Today (Wenesday) for me was a bit of a Sababth I spent the day resting and refocusing, reading and spending some time with Jesus and praying through all that we have seen and done this last week and a half, my heart is so full its crazy, tears well in my eyes as recount many of these experiences.

My kids meanwhile spent the day visiting an orphanage followed by visiting a wildlife refuge where they had the opportunity to pet live Cheetahs. This evening we went together to another orphanage and played with the children there and now there is an impromptu worship session going on behind me as we wait for supper. Man this team is awesome!

Please continue to pray for us and the impact that we might have, that we would love others and each other with the fullness of Christ and that we would see His kingdom grow.