Hello again everyone!
Wow, it’s a beautiful day yet again in South Africa! As usual, we’re working on crafts, but now we’re actually ahead of schedule. Today’s craft involves paper chains linked together with stickers for the story of Paul and Silas, which Ashlyn and I will be telling. We’re just finishing this craft and now we’re working on tomorrow’s craft, and it’s only 10:00am our time!
Yesterday was yet another incredible day. We all worked on crafts, and Ashlyn and I worked on the blog and pictures. This reminds me, I apologize again for the lack of pictures on this blog. Due to the limited amount of time and the speed of the internet, it truly is difficult, even to post one or two, but I promise that once we return to George we can use the Laughren’s personal wi-fi, and everything will return to normal! What we’ve been having to do is write the blog ahead of time just on a word document, save it to a flash drive, then bring it to the internet café where they have desktop computers. So having to upload photos from a flash drive to an online blog takes far too long, and the money adds up. But, as I said previously, ask Peter Laughren to be your friend on Facebook, and check out his photos. He has a Blackberry, so he frequently posts pictures of the VBS crafts and worship. If you’re anxious to see pictures, go check it out there!
Prior to VBS yesterday, we had some free time to visit the Nqweba Dam just outside of Graaff-Reinet, which is spectacular. Pete and Fran said that they rarely ever see it flowing because of the frequent droughts and it was poorly built. They greatly overestimated the size, so it actually drained more water than it was meant to. But our trip happened to fall on a week that it had received enough rain to be flowing rather continuously, so that made some great photos!
Vacation Bible School went incredibly well yet again! We were all blessed to watch all of the kids dancing, singing and having a blast. I think each member of the team has now met and connected to at least one individual child, and that’s been a true blessing for us. When we first arrived, Sandy was anxious to get out of the van to go play with the kids waiting outside the school before the doors were even unlocked. Elizabeth and Stefanie are always holding every child they can find, and Andy and Wanda love to dance right in the middle of where the kids are. I even caught Toju dancing and smiling with the kids! And, of course, I can’t describe to you how precious it is to my mom and me to stand on stage and lead worship for these amazing children. Their enthusiasm, energy and passion are truly contagious. We even recorded their worship for one of their songs to show our kids back home how African children worship!
After all the children left, we waited anxiously to find out how many had attended this time. It turns out that despite the fact that several people were trying to keep track, the number of children was lost in the confusion. But it’s been estimated that there must have been around 850. Wow!!
The church members served us yet another incredible dinner—this time it was chicken on steamed rice with vegetables and lots of curry! Curry must be a local favorite, which it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite spices, too. It was absolutely delicious. I may not have mentioned earlier, but every night, my dad (Andy) has been delivering short Bible lessons before dinner to all the volunteers and workers. Last night, however, Matthew volunteered to deliver the study, and the leaders agreed to have him lead it. Even though Matt has been feeling under the weather the past night or two, he did a wonderful job and encouraged everyone. He even had a good discussion going afterwards! Also, Wanda and Stefanie led the group in a beautiful song. It was an incredible night of worship for everyone.
Soon we returned to our hotels for the night and worked on more crafts while listening to worship music, singing and laughing together. Toju even rapped for us, which was awesome! Around 9pm, Pete and Fran sent us to bed early to reward us for our hard work, but a few of us weren’t ready to sleep! Denzil, Ashlyn, Terri, Pete, Fran, Toju and I enjoyed a couple of rounds of “Apples to Apples” to close out a great day. It was so much fun just to unwind and have great fellowship with one another before going to bed.
So today is another day, and we’re all cheerful and excited about what today will bring! Again, please continue to pray for our health as we are battling sicknesses. I know Matthew was really struggling last night, and had to miss our game of Apples to Apples just to get some extra sleep in order to feel better, and several others are fighting as hard as they can with antibiotics, vitamin C and lots of cold medicine!
But thank you so much for your prayers, and I can’t wait to tell you how our VBS goes again today!
God bless!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Day 3 already?
Good morning again followers!
It’s an absolutely beautiful day here in Graaff-Reinet—a bit chilly as usual, but very sunny and bright. We’re hard at work yet again preparing for another successful day of VBS. This blog will be much shorter than my past blogs since I’m FINALLY caught up and able to post only one day’s worth of events!
Yesterday was our toughest craft day so far. After the vast number of children who came on Monday, we wanted to have a surplus of crafts so that every child would go home with a craft. So we planned for 800. And wow, was that an undertaking! Our craft was to make paper masks backed with construction paper of either Ruth or Boaz, which was Stefanie and Wanda’s lesson. Sensing that we were a bit overwhelmed on Monday night, the church members offered to help, and we gladly accepted. We may have missed a few hours of sleep, but it was all finished on time thanks to their help and our hard work!
In the morning, while the whole team labored over the masks, Pete took me to the internet café where I was able to quickly finish the blog and post it. Denzil, Matt and I also finished the slideshows and playlists for worship. Meanwhile, my mom asked Sister Priscilla to braid her hair to make mornings a little easier (seeing as we don’t have adequate adaptors for straighteners and curling irons here in Graaff-Reinet). Sister Priscilla is not only one of the volunteers of the church, but she also owns a hair salon in town, so Terri figured it’d be a perfect way to get to know Priscilla and the other women helping us. We weren’t sure if Terri knew quite what she was getting in to, but it turns out, Terri can pull off the African look! Pete did or will post a picture on Facebook, so be sure to look for that to see for yourself! :)
Once we picked up Terri from Priscilla’s shop, we went straight to VBS. The kids were already lined up to enter again on Day 2, and we were anxious to find out how many kids we would get!
And, again by the grace of God, we had 793!!
Check it out!
This means that not only did we have more, but we had prepared even more crafts than we needed! We actually had enough leftover to color our own masks, which was an opportunity I gladly took! Worship was beautiful and exciting again, and we loved on and played with as many kids as we got our hands on! It was amazing, and we were all very encouraged. At the end of the day, they served us yet another meal—an amazing dish called vetkock (pronounced fet-cook, which is translated to Curry Bunnies!). Everyone loved it!
Today we’re working on our third craft, which is not nearly as difficult, and we’re excited!! Also, it’s Denzil’s 17th birthday! For breakfast this morning, we went to his favorite breakfast diner, Wimpy’s, and we’ve been singing to him every hour on the hour. Matt’s 16th birthday is on Friday as well, so it’s an exciting week for everyone!
I’ll wrap this up because it’s getting close to time to prepare for worship yet again, and the internet café charges by the minute, so I don’t want to waste too much more of their time. But thank you all so much yet again for your prayers. It’s so evident in every moment we are here that we are being prayed over and that the Holy Spirit is working in us and through us.
Please continue to pray for us as we go through the week, especially for our health. A few of us have been fighting colds, coughs and sore throats, so we want to be sure and stay healthy.
Thank you again! We love you all!
PS: Photos will have to wait. The computer here in Graaff-Reinet aren't working very quickly, and as I said, we're short on time. I'll post them hopefully when we return to George. Sorry!
It’s an absolutely beautiful day here in Graaff-Reinet—a bit chilly as usual, but very sunny and bright. We’re hard at work yet again preparing for another successful day of VBS. This blog will be much shorter than my past blogs since I’m FINALLY caught up and able to post only one day’s worth of events!
Yesterday was our toughest craft day so far. After the vast number of children who came on Monday, we wanted to have a surplus of crafts so that every child would go home with a craft. So we planned for 800. And wow, was that an undertaking! Our craft was to make paper masks backed with construction paper of either Ruth or Boaz, which was Stefanie and Wanda’s lesson. Sensing that we were a bit overwhelmed on Monday night, the church members offered to help, and we gladly accepted. We may have missed a few hours of sleep, but it was all finished on time thanks to their help and our hard work!
In the morning, while the whole team labored over the masks, Pete took me to the internet café where I was able to quickly finish the blog and post it. Denzil, Matt and I also finished the slideshows and playlists for worship. Meanwhile, my mom asked Sister Priscilla to braid her hair to make mornings a little easier (seeing as we don’t have adequate adaptors for straighteners and curling irons here in Graaff-Reinet). Sister Priscilla is not only one of the volunteers of the church, but she also owns a hair salon in town, so Terri figured it’d be a perfect way to get to know Priscilla and the other women helping us. We weren’t sure if Terri knew quite what she was getting in to, but it turns out, Terri can pull off the African look! Pete did or will post a picture on Facebook, so be sure to look for that to see for yourself! :)
Once we picked up Terri from Priscilla’s shop, we went straight to VBS. The kids were already lined up to enter again on Day 2, and we were anxious to find out how many kids we would get!
And, again by the grace of God, we had 793!!
Check it out!
This means that not only did we have more, but we had prepared even more crafts than we needed! We actually had enough leftover to color our own masks, which was an opportunity I gladly took! Worship was beautiful and exciting again, and we loved on and played with as many kids as we got our hands on! It was amazing, and we were all very encouraged. At the end of the day, they served us yet another meal—an amazing dish called vetkock (pronounced fet-cook, which is translated to Curry Bunnies!). Everyone loved it!
Today we’re working on our third craft, which is not nearly as difficult, and we’re excited!! Also, it’s Denzil’s 17th birthday! For breakfast this morning, we went to his favorite breakfast diner, Wimpy’s, and we’ve been singing to him every hour on the hour. Matt’s 16th birthday is on Friday as well, so it’s an exciting week for everyone!
I’ll wrap this up because it’s getting close to time to prepare for worship yet again, and the internet café charges by the minute, so I don’t want to waste too much more of their time. But thank you all so much yet again for your prayers. It’s so evident in every moment we are here that we are being prayed over and that the Holy Spirit is working in us and through us.
Please continue to pray for us as we go through the week, especially for our health. A few of us have been fighting colds, coughs and sore throats, so we want to be sure and stay healthy.
Thank you again! We love you all!
PS: Photos will have to wait. The computer here in Graaff-Reinet aren't working very quickly, and as I said, we're short on time. I'll post them hopefully when we return to George. Sorry!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Incredible.
Good morning, followers!
I apologize for not being able to update any sooner. Here in Graaff-Reinet, there is no wireless internet whatsoever. The only internet access we have is at a local internet café down the street from our hotel, and we have not yet had time to even get over there. We have been very hard at work with crafts—in fact, as I’m writing this, everyone else is laboring away on Ruth and Boaz masks for the kids to color. But first, let me back up and tell you all that has happened since my last post.
On Sunday morning, we attended Pete and Fran’s home church simply named George Church of Christ. They meet in a school building classroom, and it is absolutely amazing. My dad, Andy, was even given the honor of preaching the sermon with an interpreter by his side, and Andy frequently would add in the only Aafrikans our group knows—“Baie Dankie”, which means “thank you very much”. We joined around fifty other brothers and sisters in Christ in worship, and I truly believe that every single one of us was deeply touched by their presence. If you’ve never been on a mission trip before, I can’t tell you just how incredible it is to witness people worship our Lord and Savior in different languages. The same God we worship with our electric and bass guitars, keyboards and sound systems, is the God that South Africans worship with only their voices, using their Bibles as drum sets. As Pete told us prior to attending church, their ways of worship is not inferior to ours, but just different. I know I personally had tears in my eyes listening to them worshipping with their whole beings—not half-hearted, not partially involved, but with full and true passion. It was beautiful. I pray that we can bring that enthusiasm and passion back home with us to share with our church.
After church, we ate a nice brunch at, none other than, McDonald’s. It was quick, easy and delicious. Once we were full and happy, we packed up again and left for Graaff-Reinet. The drive was about five hours through some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen. We drove through mountains, followed by a desert-like terrain, complete with cactus plants, tumbleweed, sheep, cows…and monkeys! There were adorable grey monkeys along the road we were driving. We also saw Springbok, a native deer resembling an antelope. It reminded my family of Arizona, but as soon as we saw the Springbok and monkeys, we were reminded of our presence in this beautiful country.
Once we arrived in Graaff-Reinet, we checked into our hotel (which was very nice!), and headed to the home of one of the church leaders, Max and his wife Priscilla, who fed us a delicious meal of African meat dishes and finger foods. And no, in case you were wondering, we weren’t eating monkey, zebra, giraffe, or even Springbok. It was mostly chicken, a little beef and even some lamb. It was absolutely delicious! We also met most of the members of the congregation of the local church, who hosted VBS, and they were very kind and generous to us, like everyone here in South Africa has been. We were very grateful.
Finally, Monday morning came. The morning we had most anticipated of the entire trip—the purpose of us being here finally coming to a head. Vacation Bible School would begin at 2:00pm, and we were anticipating around 500 children to come the first day. We had a great craft planned, and were prepared with bags of cotton balls and glitter, glue, coloring pages and construction paper. Terri and Sandy were even prepared with their flannel board story of Noah’s Ark. After grabbing a quick breakfast at everyone’s favorite breakfast diner Wimpy’s, we arrived early to decorate the school building with streamers, balloons, signs and inflatable cones. We even prepared a PowerPoint presentation so the kids who could read English could follow along. We left to go eat a quick lunch at the hotel, and headed back to the school building to prepare for their arrival.
When we arrived back at the school, we were already blown away. Children were everywhere, lined up all along the entrance. Hundreds of kids were anxiously waiting at the door to be let in the school. We literally had to squeeze through to finish preparing everything before we allowed the kids to enter. But of course, we were able to take a few pictures of some of the adorable kids, who were thrilled just by our presence. Once we were ready for the kids to come on in and we opened the doors, the real fun began. We sang, we danced, we played, we listened, we colored, we glued, we were sprinkled with glitter, we laughed, and some of us even cried. But I think the most mind-blowing moment of the day was the shock of how huge the crowd of children truly was.
The church anticipated 500 children.
There were 721 children.
And it was only the first day.
It was incredible! Terri and I led the worship with Fran and Cornell (the interpreter), Matt and Denzil worked sound and the PowerPoint, Ashlyn took tons of pictures, and the rest of the group held children, danced, and laughed together. We were all having a blast in our own way, and it was amazing! By the end of the day, most of us had even broken a sweat, which is really saying something in this weather! It truly was thrilling!
Above everything else, it was so obvious that God was right in the middle of that auditorium. He’s been with us every single step of the way, in every person we’ve encountered, in every child we’ve touched, and in every volunteer working this entire event. It’s clear to every person working that the Holy Spirit is surely intervening in this trip, and it’s incredible.
As I [finally] conclude this post, I want to thank you again for your prayers and support. I can speak for the whole team when I say we are incredibly blessed and thankful to be here. Today we may even have more children, so continue to pray for us as we prepare the crafts and activities for the children to use.
And, as the Aafrikans say and our team has learned to say, Baie dankie. Thank you so much for all your prayers!
I apologize for not being able to update any sooner. Here in Graaff-Reinet, there is no wireless internet whatsoever. The only internet access we have is at a local internet café down the street from our hotel, and we have not yet had time to even get over there. We have been very hard at work with crafts—in fact, as I’m writing this, everyone else is laboring away on Ruth and Boaz masks for the kids to color. But first, let me back up and tell you all that has happened since my last post.
On Sunday morning, we attended Pete and Fran’s home church simply named George Church of Christ. They meet in a school building classroom, and it is absolutely amazing. My dad, Andy, was even given the honor of preaching the sermon with an interpreter by his side, and Andy frequently would add in the only Aafrikans our group knows—“Baie Dankie”, which means “thank you very much”. We joined around fifty other brothers and sisters in Christ in worship, and I truly believe that every single one of us was deeply touched by their presence. If you’ve never been on a mission trip before, I can’t tell you just how incredible it is to witness people worship our Lord and Savior in different languages. The same God we worship with our electric and bass guitars, keyboards and sound systems, is the God that South Africans worship with only their voices, using their Bibles as drum sets. As Pete told us prior to attending church, their ways of worship is not inferior to ours, but just different. I know I personally had tears in my eyes listening to them worshipping with their whole beings—not half-hearted, not partially involved, but with full and true passion. It was beautiful. I pray that we can bring that enthusiasm and passion back home with us to share with our church.
After church, we ate a nice brunch at, none other than, McDonald’s. It was quick, easy and delicious. Once we were full and happy, we packed up again and left for Graaff-Reinet. The drive was about five hours through some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen. We drove through mountains, followed by a desert-like terrain, complete with cactus plants, tumbleweed, sheep, cows…and monkeys! There were adorable grey monkeys along the road we were driving. We also saw Springbok, a native deer resembling an antelope. It reminded my family of Arizona, but as soon as we saw the Springbok and monkeys, we were reminded of our presence in this beautiful country.
Once we arrived in Graaff-Reinet, we checked into our hotel (which was very nice!), and headed to the home of one of the church leaders, Max and his wife Priscilla, who fed us a delicious meal of African meat dishes and finger foods. And no, in case you were wondering, we weren’t eating monkey, zebra, giraffe, or even Springbok. It was mostly chicken, a little beef and even some lamb. It was absolutely delicious! We also met most of the members of the congregation of the local church, who hosted VBS, and they were very kind and generous to us, like everyone here in South Africa has been. We were very grateful.
Finally, Monday morning came. The morning we had most anticipated of the entire trip—the purpose of us being here finally coming to a head. Vacation Bible School would begin at 2:00pm, and we were anticipating around 500 children to come the first day. We had a great craft planned, and were prepared with bags of cotton balls and glitter, glue, coloring pages and construction paper. Terri and Sandy were even prepared with their flannel board story of Noah’s Ark. After grabbing a quick breakfast at everyone’s favorite breakfast diner Wimpy’s, we arrived early to decorate the school building with streamers, balloons, signs and inflatable cones. We even prepared a PowerPoint presentation so the kids who could read English could follow along. We left to go eat a quick lunch at the hotel, and headed back to the school building to prepare for their arrival.
When we arrived back at the school, we were already blown away. Children were everywhere, lined up all along the entrance. Hundreds of kids were anxiously waiting at the door to be let in the school. We literally had to squeeze through to finish preparing everything before we allowed the kids to enter. But of course, we were able to take a few pictures of some of the adorable kids, who were thrilled just by our presence. Once we were ready for the kids to come on in and we opened the doors, the real fun began. We sang, we danced, we played, we listened, we colored, we glued, we were sprinkled with glitter, we laughed, and some of us even cried. But I think the most mind-blowing moment of the day was the shock of how huge the crowd of children truly was.
The church anticipated 500 children.
There were 721 children.
And it was only the first day.
It was incredible! Terri and I led the worship with Fran and Cornell (the interpreter), Matt and Denzil worked sound and the PowerPoint, Ashlyn took tons of pictures, and the rest of the group held children, danced, and laughed together. We were all having a blast in our own way, and it was amazing! By the end of the day, most of us had even broken a sweat, which is really saying something in this weather! It truly was thrilling!
Above everything else, it was so obvious that God was right in the middle of that auditorium. He’s been with us every single step of the way, in every person we’ve encountered, in every child we’ve touched, and in every volunteer working this entire event. It’s clear to every person working that the Holy Spirit is surely intervening in this trip, and it’s incredible.
As I [finally] conclude this post, I want to thank you again for your prayers and support. I can speak for the whole team when I say we are incredibly blessed and thankful to be here. Today we may even have more children, so continue to pray for us as we prepare the crafts and activities for the children to use.
And, as the Aafrikans say and our team has learned to say, Baie dankie. Thank you so much for all your prayers!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
We made it!
Hello followers!
Our first full day here in George, South Africa is coming to a close, but looking down at my desktop clock, I see that it's only 3:30 in Atlanta. It's insane how much of a difference six hours really is...
Anyway, I'm writing to you from the Laughren's house here in George, where the rest of the group is hard at work on the crafts we'll be using this week in Graaf-Reinet. I'm supposed to be helping them out, but I definitely wanted to wrap this up and update our family and friends back home with all the events that have taken place over the past few days. I would have updated sooner, but there was no free wi-fi in our hotel in Johannesburg, and we've busy all day today, as well. But now I'm finally able to fill you in on our adventures!
On Thursday afternoon, we all met at the church office and were prayed over by several ministers, elders, family and friends. Everyone circled in the conference room, Scott Schade and my dad (Andy Daugherty) led the main prayer, and soon after, we were off! Phillip Zook drove the "blurple van" to the airport, while Jackson Bailey (my significant other of 3 years) followed behind carrying Matt, Toju and myself to allow for more room in the van for luggage and the rest of the team.
Once we arrived at the airport, we said our goodbyes to Phillip and Jackson (which was much harder than I personally expected, but all is good), and checked in our luggage. God was definitely carrying us through the entire airport experience, and that was evident in the fact that everything was so easy. There were no unnecessary hold-ups, everyone had everything they needed, we never got lost, we had no need to rush, and we didn't even need to ride the train because our terminal was close to the entrance. Best of all, none of the team was pulled to the side by the TSA at the security gate! Hooray!!
After boarding the plane, we soon discovered that we didn't even need to pack our own entertainment for the flight. Each seat had a personal touch-screen television with a headphone jack (which did not require an extra converter like they used to). We had access to a wide variety of full-length movies, popular TV show episodes, music, games, and the ability to see our flight's progress, GPS location and arrival time. It was really cool! I can't speak for the whole team, but I personally wasn't bored a single moment during the flight. I know at least three of us (Stefanie, Matt and myself) watched "Tangled", so everyone had something to enjoy.
Sleep was a bit difficult during the flight, mostly due to the lack of leg room, but otherwise, it was a relatively comfortable flight. For some of us, though, sleep came easily. Toju even fell asleep on a stranger's shoulder! To my knowledge, no one got sick or was completely miserable. In fact, Stefanie and Wanda had a nice little bonus on their row--a very attractive gentleman named Brett who was also headed to a missionary field, sat beside Stefanie. He was very friendly, and I have a feeling it was difficult for Stefanie to part from him. Haha!
Fourteen hours later, we landed safe and sound in Johannesburg. We met up with Pete Laughren after retrieving our checked luggage, and immediately exchanged our U.S. dollars for South African currency called rand. Pete led us to our hotel, which was conveniently attached to the airport, where we were able to [finally] take our [much needed] showers! We met back in the lobby an hour later and made our way to the airport food court, and all enjoyed a delicious meal at none other than, Nando's! For those who don't know what Nando's is, it's a great Portuguese chicken diner where the Laughren's are renowned for taking their missionaries every year. According to Stefanie, they ate there at least six different times back in 2006. I don't know how exaggerated that was, but regardless, our whole team enjoyed it.
Our team's stomachs full of real, not-airport food, we happily headed back to our rooms and went to bed relatively early. The next morning, however, came much too early for some of us. Due to the size of the plane to George, the team had to split up. Terri, Matt and I had to meet up with Pete and Andy in the lobby at 5:00am to catch some breakfast and the 6:50am flight. The rest of the team was able to sleep a little longer in order to catch the next flight that wasn't until around noon. But, I must admit, the early flight wasn't all miserable. Not only was the flight an hour and a half, but it was very smooth, and the crew was friendly and funny. They cracked jokes constantly during the flight, which kept the atmosphere light and comfortable. To top it all off, the first team (Terri, Amy and Matt) witnessed a breathtaking sunrise as we took off, and a full, beautiful rainbow as we landed. It was incredible. God's beautiful creation never ceases to amaze me.
The first team landed in a very rainy George, where we met up with Fran and Denzil who drove us to their home. And let me just emphasize: the scenery here is absolutely gorgeous. Ashlyn will be taking plenty of pictures this week to show you, but even with her amazing photography, it won't do George justice. The Laughren's house is at the foot of a beautiful mountain range, and even in the middle of winter, everything looks so green, fresh and clean. I was amazed at the beauty of it all. Even the Laughren's home is beautiful, and their generosity is endless.
Our first full day here in George, South Africa is coming to a close, but looking down at my desktop clock, I see that it's only 3:30 in Atlanta. It's insane how much of a difference six hours really is...
Anyway, I'm writing to you from the Laughren's house here in George, where the rest of the group is hard at work on the crafts we'll be using this week in Graaf-Reinet. I'm supposed to be helping them out, but I definitely wanted to wrap this up and update our family and friends back home with all the events that have taken place over the past few days. I would have updated sooner, but there was no free wi-fi in our hotel in Johannesburg, and we've busy all day today, as well. But now I'm finally able to fill you in on our adventures!
On Thursday afternoon, we all met at the church office and were prayed over by several ministers, elders, family and friends. Everyone circled in the conference room, Scott Schade and my dad (Andy Daugherty) led the main prayer, and soon after, we were off! Phillip Zook drove the "blurple van" to the airport, while Jackson Bailey (my significant other of 3 years) followed behind carrying Matt, Toju and myself to allow for more room in the van for luggage and the rest of the team.
Once we arrived at the airport, we said our goodbyes to Phillip and Jackson (which was much harder than I personally expected, but all is good), and checked in our luggage. God was definitely carrying us through the entire airport experience, and that was evident in the fact that everything was so easy. There were no unnecessary hold-ups, everyone had everything they needed, we never got lost, we had no need to rush, and we didn't even need to ride the train because our terminal was close to the entrance. Best of all, none of the team was pulled to the side by the TSA at the security gate! Hooray!!
After boarding the plane, we soon discovered that we didn't even need to pack our own entertainment for the flight. Each seat had a personal touch-screen television with a headphone jack (which did not require an extra converter like they used to). We had access to a wide variety of full-length movies, popular TV show episodes, music, games, and the ability to see our flight's progress, GPS location and arrival time. It was really cool! I can't speak for the whole team, but I personally wasn't bored a single moment during the flight. I know at least three of us (Stefanie, Matt and myself) watched "Tangled", so everyone had something to enjoy.
Sleep was a bit difficult during the flight, mostly due to the lack of leg room, but otherwise, it was a relatively comfortable flight. For some of us, though, sleep came easily. Toju even fell asleep on a stranger's shoulder! To my knowledge, no one got sick or was completely miserable. In fact, Stefanie and Wanda had a nice little bonus on their row--a very attractive gentleman named Brett who was also headed to a missionary field, sat beside Stefanie. He was very friendly, and I have a feeling it was difficult for Stefanie to part from him. Haha!
Fourteen hours later, we landed safe and sound in Johannesburg. We met up with Pete Laughren after retrieving our checked luggage, and immediately exchanged our U.S. dollars for South African currency called rand. Pete led us to our hotel, which was conveniently attached to the airport, where we were able to [finally] take our [much needed] showers! We met back in the lobby an hour later and made our way to the airport food court, and all enjoyed a delicious meal at none other than, Nando's! For those who don't know what Nando's is, it's a great Portuguese chicken diner where the Laughren's are renowned for taking their missionaries every year. According to Stefanie, they ate there at least six different times back in 2006. I don't know how exaggerated that was, but regardless, our whole team enjoyed it.
Our team's stomachs full of real, not-airport food, we happily headed back to our rooms and went to bed relatively early. The next morning, however, came much too early for some of us. Due to the size of the plane to George, the team had to split up. Terri, Matt and I had to meet up with Pete and Andy in the lobby at 5:00am to catch some breakfast and the 6:50am flight. The rest of the team was able to sleep a little longer in order to catch the next flight that wasn't until around noon. But, I must admit, the early flight wasn't all miserable. Not only was the flight an hour and a half, but it was very smooth, and the crew was friendly and funny. They cracked jokes constantly during the flight, which kept the atmosphere light and comfortable. To top it all off, the first team (Terri, Amy and Matt) witnessed a breathtaking sunrise as we took off, and a full, beautiful rainbow as we landed. It was incredible. God's beautiful creation never ceases to amaze me.
The first team landed in a very rainy George, where we met up with Fran and Denzil who drove us to their home. And let me just emphasize: the scenery here is absolutely gorgeous. Ashlyn will be taking plenty of pictures this week to show you, but even with her amazing photography, it won't do George justice. The Laughren's house is at the foot of a beautiful mountain range, and even in the middle of winter, everything looks so green, fresh and clean. I was amazed at the beauty of it all. Even the Laughren's home is beautiful, and their generosity is endless.
OH! As some of you may know, because we are in the southern hemisphere, June is the middle of winter. And believe me, it feels like it, especially without central heating in the house. When we arrived in the middle of the day, it was in the mid-forties, plus it was raining. Yikes. I know I definitely should have packed more layers, but someone *coughcoughmymomcoughcough* told me that I didn't need to pack a big heavy jacket, and that I'd be fine without it. Thankfully, though, the Laughren's had a surplus of blankets and sweatshirts to loan out, and I'm warming up slowly but surely.
When the rest of the team all arrived and we all settled in, we went straight to work. Pete and Fran filled us in on the week's activities and the basic ground rules, and pretty soon we were working on crafts. Which, believe me when I say, is not as easy or simple as it sounds. We are conducting VBS for between 500 and 700 kids this week. For Monday's craft, for example, we had to bag 500 baggies of cotton balls and glitter, cut out 800 hearts out construction paper, and tape together 500 sets of paper chains. Admittedly, our mission work is not as laborious or straining as the work done on other mission trips, but it's not exactly a vacation, either. It's good to be reminded that we're not just here to spend time with the Laughren's and other host families, but we are here to spread the love of Christ to hundreds of beautiful children who need to hear it. And that's such an awesome thing :)
After an hour or so of craft-making, we went out to eat at a local eatery called Harry's Cafe. Yet another delicious meal with lots of fun fellowship.
So, in conclusion, we've really had a blast so far! Our team has been bonding and continually growing closer with laughter, teamwork and quality time together. Tomorrow we'll be attending the local church in George, then heading out to Graaf-Reinet for the rest of the week. Hopefully I'll be able to update again tomorrow, but, as Pete said in our meeting this evening, there are two main rules in the Laughren house. 1. All activities are subject to change and flexibility. 2. If you are an inflexible person, please refer to rule #1.
Goodnight, followers!
Please continue to pray for us as we travel another four hours tomorrow, and pray that we all stay well and that our bodies adjust to the drastic temperature change.
Please continue to pray for us as we travel another four hours tomorrow, and pray that we all stay well and that our bodies adjust to the drastic temperature change.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Welcome to the Journey!
Greetings, followers!
Toju Mikie
My name is Toju Mikie. I am 16 years old and have a 12 year old brother, Temi. I like to play soccer. I have been attending McDonough Christian Church for about 2 years & 1 month now. This trip to South Africa will be my first mission trip. I want God to help me to make the right choices in South Africa. It is a blessing to be able to go on this mission trip. Thank you all for your support and prayers.
Elizabeth Mikie
My name is Elizabeth Mikie. I have been married for 18 years with two lovely boys, 16 and 12 years old. I just received my license as a Registered Nurse about a month ago. I have been attending MCC for 2 years with my interesting family. This trip to South Africa will be my first mission trip, same with my oldest son, Toju Mikie. I am very excited and I thank God for this privilege and opportunity of going on my first mission trip. It has been my prayer and desire to be used by God always, as his instrument in every way he chooses to use me for his glory. I know it will be awesome, because God has already amazed us as individual and as a group throughout the preparation for this trip. Thank you very much for all your prayers and support, and I can't wait to see God's hands throughout!!!
First of all, I want to thank you for following this blog. It's going to be a long, bumpy road filled with adventure, but it will all be well worth it!
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Amy Daugherty. I'm one of the ten members of the South Africa Mission Trip team departing for South Africa in a little more than 24 hours from the moment I'm writing this.
Wow, what a surreal thought. I have to admit, though, I don't think it has truly sunk into my mind yet. It all seems to be happening so fast, but I know God has everything completely under control.
Tomorrow (Thursday the 23rd) we'll leave the church around 4:00pm, board a 17-hour flight to Johannesburg where we'll stay overnight, then catch another plane the next day to George, where we will meet up with our hosts, Pete and Fran Laughren. We will stay in George until Sunday afternoon, then we will travel by van to Graaf-Reinet to another host house, where we will be helping out with Vacation Bible School for the remainder of the week. As the blogger of this trip, I will gladly keep you, our followers, updated as the events take place. Hopefully I'll even be able to update every day with stories of our adventure!
For our first real entry to this blog, I felt that I should introduce you to each member of our amazing team. I know that every member of this team has been chosen by God to make this trip, and God has already done so much to bless each and every one of us. So here's a short introduction from every member of the team.
Stefanie Broom
My name is Stefanie Broom and I am the leader of this Short Term Mission trip to South Africa. I went on a trip to South Africa five years ago to help Pete & Fran lead a VBS. Pete & Fran are the missionaries that are in South Africa. I am very excited about the opportunity that God has given me to lead a trip this year. I have been praying for this trip for 8 months now. I know that God is going to do an awesome work in South Africa. I know that God has knit this team together. God has also helped us raise $30,000 in three months! How awesome is that! This will be my 6th mission trip out of the country. Thank you for your prayers and support. We hope to make a difference in the lives of many children in South Africa!!Wanda Brewer
I have been at McDonough Christian Church for a little over 6 years now. I am a singer on the worship team, in the choir, and I am on the Creative Arts Team. For the last 6 months I have been Co-leading worship during the search for a new worship minister and have served on the search comittee for the new leader. I was told about the trip to South Africa last November and I prayed really hard about it. This was not necessarily a trip that thrilled me. The long plane ride is not something that I wanted to do. However, God continued to encourage me to go. I prayed that if He wanted me to make this journey that he would provide because I could not afford it on my own. Immediately the funds began to pour in. I was able to raise the full amount very quickly and it left no doubt in my mind that God wants me to go on this trip. I am very excited about the possibilities. I wait with anticipation to see what God wants me to learn and how He will use me on this trip. I have already learned that if you pray that God will use you, He will open up the doors like floodgates. Thanks to everyone for their prayers and support. I can't wait to share everything that God does in South Africa.Sandy Johnston
I am married and have 3 adult boys and 8 beautiful grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. I have spent my entire adult life working in a social work field with children and their families. I have always had a passion and enjoy being around children. Since I was a teenager, I have wanted to go on a mission trip. I have used lots of excuses over the last 30 plus years not to go, but when this opportunity presented itself, I knew God was calling me to go. I am very excited and appreciative to join Pete and Fran and my mission team from MCC to meet and work with the children inSouth Africa
I am married and have 3 adult boys and 8 beautiful grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. I have spent my entire adult life working in a social work field with children and their families. I have always had a passion and enjoy being around children. Since I was a teenager, I have wanted to go on a mission trip. I have used lots of excuses over the last 30 plus years not to go, but when this opportunity presented itself, I knew God was calling me to go. I am very excited and appreciative to join Pete and Fran and my mission team from MCC to meet and work with the children in
Ashlyn Zook
I’m Ashlyn Zook, 14 years old and the third of four children in our family. I have been actively attending MCC since I was five years old. Over the past nine years, I have been involved in the children’s and youth programs, and have served in the children’s and drama ministries. I also served on a previous two week mission trip with my family to the country of Panama in 2003. During my free time, I like to play soccer and volleyball, but, most of all, I enjoy photography. I feel like God was telling me to go on this mission trip when a lot of things I saw and many people I talked to, said something about Africa. I knew it meant something when no one else around noticed its meaning. I am excited about seeing the kids at the VBS and being able to serve the Lord in another country.
I’m Ashlyn Zook, 14 years old and the third of four children in our family. I have been actively attending MCC since I was five years old. Over the past nine years, I have been involved in the children’s and youth programs, and have served in the children’s and drama ministries. I also served on a previous two week mission trip with my family to the country of Panama in 2003. During my free time, I like to play soccer and volleyball, but, most of all, I enjoy photography. I feel like God was telling me to go on this mission trip when a lot of things I saw and many people I talked to, said something about Africa. I knew it meant something when no one else around noticed its meaning. I am excited about seeing the kids at the VBS and being able to serve the Lord in another country.
Toju Mikie
My name is Toju Mikie. I am 16 years old and have a 12 year old brother, Temi. I like to play soccer. I have been attending McDonough Christian Church for about 2 years & 1 month now. This trip to South Africa will be my first mission trip. I want God to help me to make the right choices in South Africa. It is a blessing to be able to go on this mission trip. Thank you all for your support and prayers.
Elizabeth Mikie
My name is Elizabeth Mikie. I have been married for 18 years with two lovely boys, 16 and 12 years old. I just received my license as a Registered Nurse about a month ago. I have been attending MCC for 2 years with my interesting family. This trip to South Africa will be my first mission trip, same with my oldest son, Toju Mikie. I am very excited and I thank God for this privilege and opportunity of going on my first mission trip. It has been my prayer and desire to be used by God always, as his instrument in every way he chooses to use me for his glory. I know it will be awesome, because God has already amazed us as individual and as a group throughout the preparation for this trip. Thank you very much for all your prayers and support, and I can't wait to see God's hands throughout!!!
Andy Daugherty
I am a husband, father, and church leader. My wife Terri and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary this year. We have two children, Amy and Matthew. The whole family is going on this mission to South Africa. I am also a church leader. I teach a Bible study for adults on Sunday mornings, co-lead a small group on Wednesday nights and am an elder at McDonough Christian Church. I work for Equifax as a technical instructor. For leisure, I enjoy jogging, hiking, and volleyball. I am passionate about my Lord, my family and my church. I also enjoys writing and leading informal Bible studies. I have felt a calling to go on a short-term mission trip for some time now but the timing has not seemed right with other demands. The timing of this trip, along with our relationship with the Laughren’s, made this mission a good fit. I am very excited to see what the Lord will do through us as the team from MCC serves alongside the Laughren’s in South Africa.
Terri Daugherty
I’m Terri. I’ve lived in Georgia my whole life. This is my 2nd trip to South Africa and I’m very excited to get to go with my family this time. I’m a very outgoing person who is passionate about the things I love which are: Jesus, my family, working with youth and kids at church, music and Disney. I love Disney so much, I am currently training to become a travel agent who specializes in Disney! I love to sing, mostly with kids which is what I’m doing in South Africa. I get to share the love of Christ in a way that brings me joy – which is my favorite fruit of the spirit. I’ve been married 25 happy years (as of yesterday) to Andy. I can’t wait to see what God will do through us with Pete and Fran!
Matthew Daugherty
My name is Matthew, but you can call me Matt. I love the Lord, and I try to follow His guidance with all that I do. In my spare time I like to work with electronics. I make lasers, sub-woofers and a few other things out of broken electronics. I also do a lot of things with electronics such as the sound and video system in my church, and many other things. The only sport I play is airsoft, which is similar to paintball. I plan on being a youth minister when I'm older and possibly join the military also. I'm excited to go to South Africa to have fun with the kids and teach them about God. Plus I'm excited about hanging out with Denzil Laughren again and catching up.
I’m Terri. I’ve lived in Georgia my whole life. This is my 2nd trip to South Africa and I’m very excited to get to go with my family this time. I’m a very outgoing person who is passionate about the things I love which are: Jesus, my family, working with youth and kids at church, music and Disney. I love Disney so much, I am currently training to become a travel agent who specializes in Disney! I love to sing, mostly with kids which is what I’m doing in South Africa. I get to share the love of Christ in a way that brings me joy – which is my favorite fruit of the spirit. I’ve been married 25 happy years (as of yesterday) to Andy. I can’t wait to see what God will do through us with Pete and Fran!
Matthew Daugherty
My name is Matthew, but you can call me Matt. I love the Lord, and I try to follow His guidance with all that I do. In my spare time I like to work with electronics. I make lasers, sub-woofers and a few other things out of broken electronics. I also do a lot of things with electronics such as the sound and video system in my church, and many other things. The only sport I play is airsoft, which is similar to paintball. I plan on being a youth minister when I'm older and possibly join the military also. I'm excited to go to South Africa to have fun with the kids and teach them about God. Plus I'm excited about hanging out with Denzil Laughren again and catching up.
And finally, my name is Amy Daugherty. I'm a 20-year-old junior at Georgia State University, working on my major in Psychology. I've been attending MCC for nine years now with my amazing family, and am deeply involved in both the student and children's ministries there. This trip to South Africa will be my second mission trip, but my first time on an international trip, so I am very excited and nervous all at the same time! Leaving the U.S. for two whole weeks with limited communication with my friends and boyfriend of 3 years will definitely push me out of my comfort zone, but I'm excited to see what God is going to do while we're there. Thank you so much for your prayers and support, and I can't wait to begin this adventure!
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