Wrapping things up in Joburg...

So the Countdown is on...
only 14 days left in South Africa! I'm excited in many way and also sad in a few others. I'm so excited to get home to see everyone and to get back into the routine of things, but I will definitely miss the people here and a few of the random spots we have grown to love (Mugg & Bean is at the top of that list! - a fun coffee/restaurant place Hannah Sanders, Craig, and I have been 1 to 2 times a week for our Sabbath/Planning times).
As others have said, we went to Pilanesburg this past weekend (I like to call it a Safari, but some say a "game drive", whatever you call it... we got to see lots of animals!) Below is a picture of part of our team (the UGA folks, where Craig and I work). It's amazing to see God's vast creation through landscape and all the amazing animals!
This trip has definitely been challenging, but how else does God teach you so many great lessons and show you sin in your own life. I have seen many biases in my own life that I have just from being born and living in America - it has helped me to start to appreciate things on a more global level - politically, economically, culturally, etc. I have also seen how impatient and frustrated I can get. There are LOTS of situations that have tested that - 17 people in a tiny kitchen making dinner with a tiny refrigerator that something falls out and breaks every time you open it; a place that's supposed to be 2 hours away actually taking 5 hours with traffic for the 2010 World Cup construction; and the list could go on. But, I think God has taught me so much about taking things in stride and just trusting Him for my comfort and not outside circumstances.
We have been studying the gospel of Mark this summer and seeing the character of Jesus has really convicted me and challenged me a lot. The patience, compassion, and love that he showed others is hard to compare, but asking for a better understanding and likeness to Him is what I have praying for all summer.
One thing that was really cool was that I ate lunch the other day with a girl, Vanity (pictured above), who became a Christian when Craig and I were in SA in 2006. She was one of the 3 main girls that I spent my time with in '06. It was so encouraging to see her still walking with the Lord today and trying to share Christ with the people at her workplace. That is the whole reason we even come to South Africa and on the CCP - to prayerfully introduce people to or help people grow in their relationship with Jesus and to continue to walk with Him for the rest of their lives and share that good news with others. It's amazing that God would and even could use people like me!
So, although the summer has had it's ups and downs, I know God has worked both in and through our team.

Our Schedule for the next 2 weeks:
June 19th - 22nd we leave for the COJ Leadership Camp in Delmas, SA
June 22nd - 26th we are doing some Mercy/Justice ministry at a nearby township called Botleng
June 26th - July 2nd we'll be in Capetown
June 2nd we depart from Capetown
July 3rd we arrive in Atlanta!


Thanks for all of your prayers, and we look forward to seeing everyone soon!

- Hannah (Kate) Hensley

Adam: Last Post from Campus

Today is the last day on campus. We might be able to come back tomorrow, but I think today might be it. That said, I need to be brief.This past weekend, we went to Pilansburg, which is a Game Reserve. We went there for two nights, and we saw some of the most amazing things. I will have to show you all pictures from our time there, but I still can't get my head around some of the stuff we saw! We saw pretty much every crazy animal you could think of, right up next to the car.

Unfortunately, when we got back I started to get sick. It probably was the sickest that I have ever been, actually. I'm still not sure how I got it, but it definitely was not fun. I did get over it relatively quickly, and was back on campus after only a day of being sick. Probably the worst part though, and the part that I fell worst about, is that one of the other girls got it from me, and she has been sick for the past two days. Now that two people have had it, it is a huge possibility that the rest of the team will get it. As we are transitioning off campus to do mercy ministry, this could be one of the worst times to get it! Please pray that the virus will stop spreading.

Ok, so now the awesome news. Moses has been a guy that I have been investing in a lot this summer, and I also believe that God has really been drawing him out. Yesterday we got in the Word together, looking at scripture together. After discussing God's Word and how it applied to us, I asked him where he thought he was spiritually. He said that he understood it in his head, but he didn't think he really believed it in his heart (Rom 10:9). I asked him if he would want that: he said yes. I asked him if there is anything that held him back: he said no. I asked if he wanted to ask God for this belief and surrender to Christ: he said yes! We prayed, and I really think that he might have entered the Kingdom yesterday! Obviously I can't tell what is going on in someones heart, but I really feel like God has been moving in him.

I really wish I could say more, but I need to go hit the Res now and hopefully talk to Moses again. I look forward to telling you all of God's work in this guy's life when I get back home. A couple quick prayer requests, then I must go:
-Pray for Moses, that God would guard his heart and continue to draw him to Himself, especially over the winter holidays
-Pray for the illness that is passing around the group. Pray that God would provide, and the sickness would stop spreading-Our next two weeks will be spent doing mercy ministry mostly. Pray that we would make that transition well, and that we would walk with God through it.
-We will be traveling a lot soon, so pray for our safety as well.
-Lift up this campus and all the people we probably will never see again. I miss so many of them already, and I look forward to seeing some of them in Heaven. Pray that God will continue to work in the hearts of the believers and non-believers that we have spent time with.

Alright, I gotta go. Thank you all for everything, for all your support, and all of your prayers. I have been so blessed by this whole experience.

Cheers,

Adam

Finishing Strong: Jonathan

We're now entering into our last week on campus, which will end with a Campus Outreach leadership camp that many UJ students will be going on. It is really tough to accept that we'll be parting ways with all the people that we've gotten to know; even though this is the longest mission trip I've been on, it still seems like we're just getting started here. In a way it gives us a taste of long term missions, building lasting relationships with people in a culture far from our own. It also makes us more aware of what ministry can look like in our own places that God has for us back home; living for His kingdom through living out the gospel in the relationships that the Lord provides for us. It's just hard to see that through the business of life and my desire put my agenda above His.

On campus was a little scattered, trying to meet with guys amongst negotiating through their writing (exam) schedules. However, Matt and I were able to get a bunch guys to come over for a nice American-cooked meal, because no one can ever say no to free food. It was pretty hectic to say the least. What started as one or two guys halfway committing turned into six guys piling into the kombee along with the ten CCP girls that we had to bring back, but we made it work. The kitchen was another story. We normally have three working eyes on the stove that we can use, but that night one decided to break (along with blowing a fuse). Apparetnly it got pretty entertaining to see me put together pasta and chicken fried rice for eight guys with just one pan, having to cook both an egg on one half of the pan and chicken on the other, while sharing a pasta pot with Katie Calhoun. But we pulled it off, the guys liked it, and we had a great time.After praying with the UJ student leaders at 6:30 am

Friday morning, we made a four-hour drive over to Pilansburg, a huge game reserve park. Unlike the Rhino and Lion park, we camped out at the park and drove around the entire time, searching for animals. Along with the beautiful scenery, we got to see a ton of different animals, everything from Rhinos, to huge herds of Zebra, and even got to trail an elephant on a night safari drive. On thing that took me by surprise when we first arrived were the stars, never in my life have I seen so many at one time. Even though we're in Africa, we're normally in the city, with lights everywhere. It is only when we drive four hours out of Joburg that we get to see how awesome they can be. There were a few monkey wrenches thrown in the mix. First was finding that out of the four tent bags we had, only one of them had poles in them, resulting in having to string up a five-person tent to the surrounding trees, and the guys sleeping outside. The next was all me. After seeing a few hippos at one of the watering holes, I started slowly backing up the car, eventually hearing a loud pop from the back of the car: a tree branch had completely shattered the rear window. The last was Adam getting what we think was the stomach flu or food poisoning, but whatever it was, we quarantined him in the man-cave until he got over it, and so far it's worked. Right now we are pushing as hard as we can to finish strong with our last week on campus, before heading to the leadership camp and Cape Town.

The next few weeks after the camp will be pretty much devoted entirely to doing mercy ministry in the townships, caring for and spending time with people in the shanty towns outside the camp and in Cape Town. It's going to be a pretty exausting schedule, but the Lord will get us through it. I'm just hoping that God will use me so that I can make a difference in these people's lives, because I am going to be depending heavily on Him for strength, endurance, and energy as we work through these next few weeks. As exciting as this trip has been, it has been pretty exausting as well.

I am really hoping to get lunch a few times this week with Klip. Because of his exam he has coming up, he's going to be studying most of the time until then (these exams are no joke to the South Africans, I never studied half this much when I was freshmen). I am really hoping that we can have some good conversations during those times, I've been trying to think for that time a lot this past weekend, for what would be good for me to challenge him with that would bring him to a better understanding of the gospel. Please pray for that time, and that we as a team would be effective in all the places that we will be in the next few weeks.

Cheers,

Jonathan

Time Flies: Jonathan week of June 7

Well, we're now another week closer to the end of our time with the students, who are now in the middle of the final exams for the semester, then most will be heading home within the next week or so. It's ridiculous how fast this has gone by, and how much God has been working through our time here, both with our ministry on campus and within our team. Usually when you cram 17 college students into a house (front entrance pictured) together for seven weeks, blow-ups between individuals or genders are bound to happen, Christian or non-Christian. I am amazed to say that the Lord has preserved our team in that way, which is so helpful for team unity, and effectiveness in being Christ-centered. With the students, it's been so cool to see each member of our team find his/her niche with certain students, and see the relationships that have formed. The girls have grown very close with the girl leaders, and I've already heard many stories of great conversations that they've had with them about ministry, helping them invest in other Christians and also strive to share the gospel with non-Christians.


Matt and I have been holding it down in Afslaan, both of us are spending more and more time with the first-year guys (Kaptein, Klip, and Ndaba), even amongst the crazy exam schedules these guys have. I had the wonderful privilege of tutoring Klip in genetics (pictured), a class I took last semester, so needless to say I was pretty fresh (if that's not God working, I don't know what is). It's funny to think back on the first time I met all the guys in Afslaan. Most of them were pretty quiet initially (just like me sometimes, depends on the day), so Matt and I were pretty apprehensive about the impact and relationships that we would have with them, but now he have a blast when we are with them. Africans are subtly hilarious. For example, we were with Rubber in his room. He gets up with a small bag to meet someone at the front door, and returns empty-handed. He then answers to the sketchiness by nonchalantly telling us that he sells his ADD medication to classmates to help them study. Matt and I are totally convinced, and have no idea how to respond. Thankfully he then told us that they were free vitamins he got, but he had us for a while. Friday night us Afslaan guys got to hang out at McDonald's, demolish a few McFeasts, and watch Black Hawk Down, which was definitely much more thought-provoking to see in Africa, since it took place only a few countries north of here.


Saturday was a field trip to Soweto, a township outside of Joburg, where 5 million people live in a not-so-huge area. After someone backing in our car, meeting them at a police station, filling out our own police report, we finally got to visit a UJ student's home, where we got to enjoy some delicious African homemade soup. It's their tradition to offer something, usually food, to anyone who visits (even the students on campus will do it). It was great to be able to hang out and meet her parents, and get to find out more about how life is growing up there. The ride back was a whole other experience. The SA vs Poland soccer match has just ended, so traffic was horrendous. In the States, bad traffic means sitting at a light until finally getting through. Here it means large intersections are packed with cars that are trying to make their own way through, resulting in an absolute standstill. We finally got out of there when a traffic cop directed us to drive on a sidewalk. Hilarious.


Sunday was our last service at the church we've been attending (Melville Union Church), which has been so great to be able to be a part of, with both serving in worship and meeting with those who work in it. We then visited Neil Gooch's house, a man from Georgia who has now been here many years, and has been pivotal in creating the Campus Outreach ministries at the Johannesburg campus. It was a treat to be able to pick his brain while on his experiences with ministry over a braai, and hear advice on how to be effective in each of our areas back at home. His house was incredible, designed to have large get-togethers with mission teams and give his kids a great place to grow up. His family is full of builders, so he naturally has the gift of constructing a home that does just that.


So that is the run-down of our week/weekend, and as you can imagine, it As much as ministry is supposed to be God-centered, it is easy to get caught up in the business of schedules and giving all my time and energy to the people I'm around, and neglect my time and focus on the Lord, and allowing Him to be the source of my strength and truth. I have to fight the urge of relying on myself. Whenever seeking time with the Lord starts to feel more like an obligation instead of a passion, it's a sign that I'm missing something, and that I'm my own life above the Source of life. Yesterday (Monday) was very helpful for me, because it was our Sabbath, planned so that we can break from the hectic week, and simply rest in the Lord, reminding ourselves of His presence, His faithfulness, love, and truth of the gospel. So yesterday I got to take advantage of that, and realign my focus (and get some much-needed exercise at the rugby fields afterwards).


This week is one of our last with the students, and Matt and I's (along with the rest of the team)
focus is to cement the work that we've done with the students into something that will continue here the next few semesters, whether that means connecting guys with Bible studies, non-Christians with other Christian peers, or simply giving them books that might challenge their faith and understanding. Please be praying for the team, that God would give us wisdom for these last couple weeks on campus, that this would leave a lasting impact on the students, and on the Christian movement on campus.


Cheers!
Jonathan



P.S.- Here are a few more pictures for you

A few guys manning the braai stand


Me, Kaptein, Tyre, and Matt chilling by the fire

Matt and Rubber hanging out outside one of the complexes in Afslaan

From 2006 to 2009...

We have hit the 4 week mark here in South Africa. It's hard to believe we have been here that long and then some days, it feels like forever! With only 1 1/2 weeks left on campus, it's hard to see the impact of one summer of being in South Africa. But, having the priviledge of this being my second time on CCP, I have the opportunity to see 3 years of what God has been doing through the CCPs...
Friday night, we had a Leader's Night for some of the girls involved in COJ and there ended up being about 40 girls, including us, at our little guesthouse! We talked about the amazing potential these girls had to impact thir peers, their country, and even their continent! The picture above is a group of 4th and 5th year students who I knew when I was here in 2006. These girls were new Christians or being introduced to Christianity through our CCP team in 2006. Now, they have grown into some of the key leaders in the ministry! One girl, Fifi (3rd from the right), has actually been on staff with Campus Outreach in Joburg for the past 2 years. God really does use the work of those that are just being faithful.

- Hannah Hensley

South African Police Stations and American Surprises

Hello All!!

Ah, I hope you're all doing so well!

We passed the half-way point of the trip last week--can you believe it?? Me neither...

Wow. A lot has happened in the past week. I'll try to hit the highlights:

1. Friday night we (the CCP girls) invited all of CO's women-leaders over to the Butterfly for a night of American desserts (chocolate delight and rice krispies), games, and a dance party. There were probably about 30 students that came, so we crammed into the house and had a great night with all the girls. They are all buried in their books because of exams, so the night was a much needed reprieve. Our hope was that the night would help encourage unity among them, since they are usually very segregated based on what res they call home. We also had a really sweet share time; each girl spoke about someone who had been a strong spiritual influence in her life and why that women meant so much to her. It was really moving to hear so many different names and so many different ways in which the leaders had been impacted. Afterwards, we talked about how each of us has the opportunity to be "that woman" for others. It's tough to convey how powerful the night felt. I hope the South African girls felt the same way.

2. Saturday our team traveled to two different students' homes in Soweto (short for "South Western Townships"), the name for over 23 townships formed at the height of apartheid. Over 6 million people live in Soweto today. As you can imagine, there's a huge range of living standards within Soweto. We passed some areas that reminded me of the garbage dumps in Mexico City; other areas are some of the richest in South Africa. Another point of interest: the ex-homes of Nelson Mandela and Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu are in Soweto; we got to drive-by both. On our way to Soweto, we got in our first South African fender-bender... We were driving through an intersection, but had to stop (almost in the middle of the traffic light) because the car in front of us was stalled. All of a sudden, the car started backing up. And kept backing up. And backed into us. Whoops... There was a short moment of shock and panic and the realization that none of us had a clue how to handle a car accident in SA, but we got the guy's DL number/information and headed on our way... Craig (our team leader) wasn't in the car with us, and when we finally got in touch with him, he told us that the rental car company required that we file a police report. Whoops again. Thankfully, we were sitting still in traffic and the driver was only a few cars in front of us. Thami (the SA student with us) had to run down the street to tell our new favorite driver to follow us to the nearest police station. Two hours and way too many pictures of the Sofiatowne Police Station later, we were on our way to Soweto...

We only had about an hour at Thami's house, but we were able to enjoy so incredible vegetable soup her mom made for us. Her dad was glued to the TV, watching the D-Day anniversary speeches and medal presentations in France. So, we spent the hour discussing Obama (her dad was uber-impressed that he didn't use any notes for his speech) and trying to convince him that U.S. winters weren't as unbearable as he believed and that, somehow, the wildlife did manage to survive. I'm not sure he believed us...

The SA and Poland soccer teams were playing at a stadium in Soweto, so traffic was out-of-control. There's no way to describe the driving experience except to say that at one point, we could have touched another vehicle out of any window of our car and that every car was attempting to drive in a different direction.

We got home from the most ridiculous driving experience ever, excited about a night of "Team Time." Craig informed us that he'd been felt like, as a group, we'd started to complain a little more, be a little more selfish, etc. Soooooo...our "team time" was going to be a time of talking through group conflicts/problems, etc. Needless to say, we were not excited... Craig decided to kick off the group "confession" time and started by saying that he hadn't been entirely honest with us since we arrived in SA. I wish I could know what was going through everyone's mind at that moment...haha. It turns out that he was being "dishonest" about a care package that Steve McGuire and some other folks had put together for us. Craig had told us that the massive gray box we brought from Atlanta was stuff from the States for some CO staff members. Oh contraire (spelling?). Instead, it was filled with anything and everything we could have missed from home: goldfish, chips and salsa, tons of gum, chex mix, rice krispies treats, fun-fetti cake mix, nilla wafers (it took every ounce of effort I had not to eat the whole box), some movies, a frisbee, and more... It was seriously like Christmas morning. With 17 children. We made the fun-fetti cake and snuggled together to watch a movie. A great ending to a ridiculous day.

3. Sunday night we had a braai (a cookout) with Neal Gooch--the director of CO Johannesburg--and his family. The man is like a legend, and we looooved being able to talk with him and his wife (Jennifer) about their last 7 seven years in Jo-burg. Neal and our guys "braaied," and Jennifer made us macaroni and cheese and baked beans, so our weekend of American surprises continued. =)

Treager Update: Howzit?

It sure has been a while since I've updated. Actually, I haven't yet now that I think about it... Sorry for the delay, but things have been rather busy lately. So, where do I begin? How ‘bout with “God is good!” One of the coolest things I’ve experienced thus far on the trip has been seeing that wherever we go in this world, our God doesn’t change at all. His Gospel is still just as relevant to a lost people who are searching for more than what this world has to offer. To see Him working here has been a great blessing and an answer to many prayers. I wish I could tell y’all all of the stories from our trip thus far, but I suppose that would take quite some time. So here is a brief story of what ministry has been like thus far in Aflsaan res:

Because much of the adult staff for Campus Outreach here at UJ has had to leave campus and raise support (due to the global financial crisis), our main task this summer has been to partner with the student Outreach leaders in the res. Whereas in the past, most of the time was spent sharing the gospel with non-believers, this summer’s mission has been more focused on strengthening the leadership on campus so that when CO re-launches next year, their leadership core with be a strong and united fellowship.

In Afslaan, that means we’ve been spending most of our time with the Campus Outreach leaders there: Rubber, Tyre, and Cinderella. Yes, those are their names … monikers of course. One aspect of the res life here that makes it different from the traditional dorm in the States is that each res is more like a fraternity. They have a sense of brotherhood in the res’ and each first year gets a nickname from a senior in the res. And more often than not, they have no clue how they got them, which adds to their absurdity.

Our time with these guys has been pretty “lekker”. That is to say in Afrikaans, “grand” or “cool”. We have been involved also with a Bible study that they are leading for some first years: Ndaba, Valley, Kaptein, Vain, Secret, and Sevice. Both Jonathan and I have had a chance to lead the Bible study and both times they turned more into fruitful discussions, which was the ultimate goal. I would go into further detail about my time with each one of these men, but I suppose that would take a while. I'll try my best to update with some of these stories, but that may not work out knowing how little I'm able to gather my thoughts, let alone type them out (Jonathan is better at that anyways). So be sure to ask me when I get back and I’ll be glad to tell you the stories of how God is working in the hearts of the Aflsaan guys. In short, He is. And in ways that only He can do.

Spending time with these “gents” has been both a blessing and a great learning experience. And when I say learning experience, I don’t just mean how to share the faith relationally. It has been a stretching time where I am constantly reminded of how much I need God everyday to be an effective carrier of His Word. I often don’t have the words to say or the strength to endure the long days on campus. I’m no good by myself, but His power is perfected in my weakness, a sentiment I share with the Apostle Paul. And to see God show up in our ministry has been a powerful reminder that God is for us and for His Gospel to be heard by every person on this earth.

Please be praying for our time with these guys in Afslaan, because they are the future of Campus Outreach and the future of God’s Kingdom at UJ Kingsway. We don’t have much time left here on campus, so pray that in these last couple of weeks we would finish well. That we would devote our time to helping these leaders see God. That they would see the impact that He can have through them at UJ, in Johannesburg, and in all of Africa.

Thanks for reading!
Cheers,

-Matt Treager

4 Weeks In

Having community with the leaders has been difficult here at Kingsway.  So, in an effort to help build community with the girls in all the different areas of ministry on campus, we all get together at the student center on Thursdays at 3.  Last week, we were all sitting in a circle and somehow ended up playing duck, duck, goose.  It may sound strange, but it was so fun!  And, as you can see from the picture, Austin had to sit in the stink pot (i.e. the middle of the circle) because Caitlin got her.

Our first team picture since we have been in RSA...and it only took us 3 weeks to take it!

This was at the end of our day at the Lion and Rhino park.

Jonathan: Rion and Lhino

It has been quite a weekend, both incredibly encouraging and a lot of fun (the picture is of when us guys decided to get on the roof of our house and do some worship during our sabbath). It started off on Friday with a braai that we put together for a few guys that we've been ministering to. Dispite the wind fighting hard to keep us from lighting it, we got it going, had some incredible meat, and great fellowship. It was awesome for our ministry, too. A first-year, Klip, that I've been around for a bit got to meet a few of the Christian CO leaders that are in his res. A huge part of what we are doing is connecting the guys we get to know to the leaders so that the ministry can be strengthened when we leave campus (which is in only ten days!). With Klip, he seems like he is definitely interested in spiritual things, and I see a lot of potential in him to lead other guys. Another guy we met, Ndaba, seems very solid spiritually, and just needs to be put in the right direction as far as ministry and leadership, so Matt and I are going to be challenging him in the next couple of weeks to start thinking for that. All in all, I am very excited for what God seems to be preparing for us in our ministry. I'm not sure what He has in store for us with these guys, but it's looking pretty awesome so far. One thing that I've been actively praying for is that all of this would be in accordance with His will, because it's easy to think we have it all planned out, but it's only the Lord who makes it happen (Proverbs 16:9, 1 Corinthians 3:6).

The next day we hit the road, out of Johannesburg, and drove to a Rhino and Lion park and got to see zebras, hippos, lions, cheetahs, tigers, and rhinos in the wild. Summary of the trip: God's creation is magnificent. Seeing all these different creatures that He has made was a true worship experience for me. Most of the animals we saw were from driving around the reserve looking out into the bush, but we also got to hold lion cubs in an enclosure that they had set up. They were adorable, and the only kind of cat that I would keep around if I could. haha. They were definitely feisty though; I left with many scratches and a few bites, one on my chest that I hope will leave a sweet scar.

After that it was off to dinner at all-you-can-eat African steakhouse, where the menu includes zebra, buffalo, coodoo (African venison), and crocodile, along with more domestic meats like lamb, beef, and pork. Needless to say we were in heaven, until us guys turned it into a man challenge to see who could eat the most meat. If you know me well enough, you know that I can't bow out of a challenge, regardless of the absurdity or pain. By our 14th round of meat, I was in pain, but I could not stop, not while there were still other guys in it too. Eventually, it was down to just Keith and I, and Craig (our leader) announced the last round, which I was thoroughly relieved by, because I was fuller than Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I thankfully made it through the last drumstick, and had a very uncomfortable ride home. Totally worth it though.

Sunday night we had an awesome church service that ended with a choir that sung songs in at least 3 other languages besides English, and we all got to dance to it; a tad bit different than our conventional American services. Afterwards we headed to campus to meet with the leaders in Afslaan, and discussed ministry for this week. It was encouraging to be able to plan our week together to be most effective for our ministry, and be united with them in what would best serve us and them. This week will be individually meeting with Klip, Ndaba, and a few other guys that are in the leaders' bible study, and Friday night arranging a big get-together for fellowship. God's given us great friendships with those guys, and I'm really looking forward to seeing Him work through it. Thank you all for your prayers, and I hope to write more soon!

Cheers,

Jonathan

Jonathan: Pressing On

We are now in our third week in Johannesburg, and it still feels like we are just now getting started. The Lord has been constantly blessing us with awesome fellowship with the believers at UJ, and encouraging time together as a team. The other night our guys went to one of the res's and had a huge braai with a bunch of the COJ guy leaders. A braai is another word for a grill, but also means a cookout. Especially at the one we just went to, guys bring a ton of meat (the most essential food group), cook it, and chill by the fire all night; it doesn't get much better than that!

Our living accomidations are a little cramped, but we are blessed to have a place that's as nice as ours. Some girls are having to share up to five to a room, two have made a bedroom out of a hallway, and the four guys get to share a fairly spacious room in a house slightly disconnected to the rest of the house, dubbed the "man cave." It's been nice to be able to have some room to get away the craziness of twelve other girls (not that I'm complaining). I mentioned previously that things tend to take a while here; this applies specifically with trasportation. What leaving the house entails is first unlocking the front door, unlocking the gate, locking the front door, locking the gate, walking to where our big van is parked, unlocking that gate, backing up the huge van (which, like all cars here, is stick-shift) through a gate that gives about four inches of space on each side (right mirror missing because of the lack of space), locking that gate, unlocking the house gate, unlocking the front door, getting everyone together, then locking the front door then the gate. Phew! If you didn't have the patience to read that process, you can understand the patience that we have to be reliant on God for in order to pull this off. The best thing about it is the perspective I've gotten from it of how incredibly blessed we are as a country to not have to worry about the intense security measures these South Africans have to go through. Johannesburg, where we are staying, for a while has been the no. 1 most dangerous city because of crime. That's no joke. All the time that it takes to get places is almost entirely due to ensuring our protection. It's a harsh reality we've had to face.

There are a few guys that Matt and I are focusing on/starting to bulid more of a relationship with. For most of the students, they are very exposed to Christianity, through either growing up in a family where church is the accepted thing to do, or through other people around them. Because of this, the challenge (experienced first hand in a recent bible study we had) has been to get to find out whether they have true faith in Jesus, or that they're just reliant on their head knowledge to save them, because they definitely know all the right answers. Are approach to them has been to simply get around them a lot and model for them a life that is actually living for God, through both ministry and applying the gospel to our own lives. The difficulty amoung guys is that men don't thrive off of sitting around having conversations, we have to be out doing things for more effective "male bonding." Through what we've seen with the girls, they've been perfectly fine with talking with UJ girls for hours on end, and by the end of the day they'll be best friends. This just means that we've got to be active in making things happen for the guys, creating events and braii's, going "gymming" (working out), etc. It has been encouraging to get to know the guys at the Afslaan res. I've noticed that people are a lot more welcoming here, you can just walk into one of the main rooms in the complexes, start talking to whoever's there, and they are completely OK with it. Not in the States, I can tell you that much. There are too many social stigmas we face in the US, so the difference has truly been refreshing.

These next two weeks are going to be crucial for us, because students are going to start doing final exams, and then they are on break until after we leave. I would greatly appreciate it if you could be praying for all of us as we spend more time with these students; that we would be intentional with our conversations, pointing them towards Christ, and that the Lord would work on their hearts. Thanks!