Schools Ministry...

Our 3rd day in The Gambia was a visit to Presentation Girls Vocational School.  Run by the Catholic Church, this school offers basic education for girls who have missed out on formal education due to various factors (financial, family attitudes, health) and also gives additional training in a vocation (Basic Computer, Office skills, Home Economics).  

Joining Mariama (YFC Volunteer, who visits this class once a week teaching Religious Education), we arrived about 1 hour early.  Recognizing that the girls playing volleyball lacked basic volleyball skills, Nathan stopped the game for a lesson on how to hit the ball.  Noticing one young girls sitting on the sideline, then Nathan and I engaged her in conversation.  Jabu missed out on going to school in her younger years due to lack of finances for school fees, we prayed that God would provide the necessary funds to complete school at Presentation as she focuses on the area of Home Economics.  As PE class time was ending a deaf man approached Nathan wanting financial assistance.  Trusting for God to restore his hearing Nathan prayed for him as well.  In the classroom, Nathan did a teaching on "Attitude", and the best attitude is one of "Love" using 1 Corinthians 13.  With about 15 minutes left, and the opportunity for questions was presented, one girl asked for advice on relationships.  Nathan felt that God wanted me to answer the question.  I encouraged them regarding setting boundaries in their relationships with boys... if boys truly love them, they will respect the boundaries set by them.  The class then presented us a gift of appreciation, and we walked away thankful for the opportunity to play, pray and present God's principles regarding relationships.

Ministry with Gambia YFC...

Gambia YFC is currently focusing on 2 areas - Community Fellowships (weekly clubs) and Leadership Development.  

Community Fellowships are started by YFC Young Leaders in their own community.  The first fellowship we attended was with Augustine at his home.  Augustine was inspired to start something in his neighborhood after attending the YFC World General Assembly last September.  The time of fellowship was very sweet and innocent with 7 of his family and neighbors.  Nathan started with the group inviting God to join the circle (see picture of fists joined by grasping thumbs) and have His way.  After a couple of games to strengthen the friendships already present, Nathan shared a message of encouragement from God's Word.  The evening ended in a most unexpected way, as the opportunity for prayer was offered.  One young man wanted prayer for healing in his stomach.  After praying for him Nathan said "Is there anyone else I can pray for?" and a girl named Anna (who had arrived late) replied "I would like to know more about Jesus."  Right then and there, Nathan explained the Good News of Jesus Christ, and prayed with her to receive Him as her Savior.  We rejoiced with the angels as we walked away and thanked God for allowing us the privilege of harvesting the fruit that was already ripe!  Pray for Anna, that she will be strengthened in her faith as Augustine and his friends encourage her decision.

Unexpected challenges!

Greeted at the Dakar Senegal airport by Paul Gomez (my Gambian 'son'), we learned of an unexpected challenge to our travel across the border into The Gambia.  Unkown to any of our Gambian friends, Sunday March 22 was designated for National Elections in Senegal.  How does this affect us...?  It meant that NO public transport was operating (except for the few taxis at the airport, the city was closed for elections), and that there was no bus or taxis driving to The Gambia because the citizens of Senegal were required to stay in Senegal.  After 2 hours of deliberation with the taxi drivers that wanted to charge $200 for a ride to the border, God provided one very sweet driver who offered to drive us to 3 different places in Dakar to see for ourselves regarding the reality, and he only charged us for transport to one place.  After driving past 2 completely dark bus depot's (not even a mouse was stirring), we came to a taxi park with hundreds of cars and vans (the time is now 3am), all dark and deserted except for a very small fire with 5 people surrounding it.  As soon as we drove up, 3 of them started to cheer.  They were also wanting to go to the border, but needed to wait for the car to fill up... we were the answer to their prayers!  The fare to the border...? $50!!  

Enduring 6 hours of a very cramped, bumpy, carbon monoxide filled ride... we arrived at The Gambia border.  Checking out of Senegal was easy... it should have been so easy getting into The Gambia... never had any problems in the past... as Nathan says "never count it done until the 'fat lady sings'!"  Unkown to us, South African's are required to pass a police clearance before approval for a Visa into The Gambia.  The time is now 9am on a Sunday morning, the border patrol has no credit for his phone... Paul's phone battery is dead, my battery has one bar of charge.  I give Paul $$ to buy credit and put his SIM card into my phone, and we all pray that the charge will last for us to reach someone in authority that can allow Nathan clearance into The Gambia.  After 2 hours of various phone calls, the proper person was reached, and gave permission for me to have a 24 hour Visa, and Nathan a 24 hour pass into the country.  But the Border Patrol was required to keep Nathan's Visa and meet us on Monday at Immigration headquarters.  With God's favor, we were allowed to then continue.  By 3pm, 24 hours after arriving at the Cape Town airport, we had finally arrived at the YFC office, greeted by Sylvester and some food, we crashed under a mosquito net until morning!

Monday presented more unexpected challenges.  Meeting at Immigration Headquarters, the border patrol was there as promised with Nathan's passport.  But a new law had been implemented just in the last month because of a missionary that was posting letters and information on the internet displaying The Gambia and it's president in a very negative light.  This missionary is still in jail here.  The new law requires the inviting agency to meet missionaries at the border and to 'accept responsibility' for the actions of the missionary.  Well, in our case, Sylvester was with us at Immigration, so that challenge taken care of.  But... the poor border patrol had not stamped Nathan's passport with the border stamp... he only brought it with him, which would not have been a problem except that he had stamped my passport the previous day.  We could not be traveling together and have different border stamps.  The solution... the border patrol had to travel back to his border and stamp Nathan's passport, and then return to headquarters (2 ferry rides and 1 hour by car).  But Immigration agreed that once this was done, the passport could be given to Sylvester later in the day, and we could leave.  God is good to have put Nathan's passport back into our hands the next day.  "The fat lady has sung!"

More pictures and adventure later... the internet has been extremely challenging... 

Living the adventure of service to our King!

Julianna & Nathan

:)

EXCITING NEWS!!!

Well, exciting for me anyway!

Nathan and I are taking a trip to The Gambia and we leave on Friday!  I was able to purchase tickets from Cape Town to Dakar for a very reasonable rate (using my income tax refund!).  The purpose for our trip will be 3-fold. 

1) Assisting Gambia YFC in teachings at the schools ad speaking God's Words of encouragement at the community fellowships

2) For me to show off my favorite African country and friends to Nathan (and show off him to them!)

3) To retrieve my keyboard and ministry books

We leave Cape Town on March 21, and return on April 9th.

Due to the timing of our trip, I will not be sending out 'snail mail' newsletter for March.  Look forward to the one coming in April with our trip experiences.

Please pray for:

- Good health and safe travel (will and at 1:30am on the 22nd, then take a 9 hr taxi ride to Banjul (return trip visa-versa)

- Topics for training to be relevant to the culture and needed development areas

- Holy Spirit inspired words of encouragement

- Patience for Nathan as he will be completely out of his comfort zone!

- Opportunity to connect with and have fellowship with my Muslim friends who need to have and encounter with the Lord!

- Boldness to speak God's truth in all situations.

Living the adventure of service to the King... 

(read the next two blogs for our "March News" )

With training finished for "Options" Crisis Pregnancy Center, Eunice the director asked what I felt called to do... I have a heart for the schools training side.  She asked me to pray regarding opportunities to speak in two high schools right in town (predominately white/english speaking).  Ever since Nathan and I moved in we look down the hill and pray over the town and especially for this one school (in the foreground of picture)  because it has a reputation for being "closed" to Christian speakers (it is an affluent private school).  

About a week ago God directed Eunice to a conversation that led to contact with the Life Orientation teacher in that school.  She was wanting outside help teaching her class about STI's and Abortion (this teacher is a Christian).  The kids in her class were asking very in-depth questions, and the teacher wanted us to come ASAP... which meant last week!  Eunice spoke to the class on Wednesday (while I was already previously engaged at another high school with Nathan), expecting to cover 'abortion', then Thursday I would come speak to the class about STI's.  

A man plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps... the class still had more questions after Wednesday, so Thursday we showed a DVD called "Crossroads" with interviews of young women who chosen abortion and suffered the physical, mental, and emotional consequences (the DVD also had interviews from those women who chose adoption and parenting).  Even after watching an actual abortion of video, and then the interviews of women who regretted the decision even 30 years later... these 10th graders reaction was "Yea, but those are the extreme cases!  It isn't like that for everyone, and the mother takes a pill that kills the baby before it is aborted, so it doesn't feel any pain!"  

Our hearts were broken for their hard heartedness towards the sanctity of life... It really didn't bother some of them to 'kill a baby' (their words).  We praise God for allowing us to tell the truth, and ask that you pray that the enemy will not steal the truth from their hearts (as a teacher from the class after related that some girls reported in his class that they would now "NEVER consider abortion!")  Pray that the seed of truth will be planted and grow.  I have been assigned to continue to present teachings to that school next term (starting April 15) and will give the same presentations to grades 11 and 12.  I also will be presenting to grades 8 and 9, but not showing the abortion video.

"I would love to live in that house"

Even before we found this flat to live in, Nathan would drive past a house on the top of Knysna Heights and comment, "I would love to have that house!"  It was new construction, at least 1 yr old, never been occupied.   I would always say , "Yea, right!"  Disbelieving that God would provide finances for a 4 bedroom 3 1/2 bath house (with a fireplace and view of the Knysna Lagoon in front and valley in the back).  Then we came back to Knysna from our Cape Town dental trip, and needed to vacate our other flat, we searched the newspapers, called all the ads and couldn't find something in our price range in s 'safer' neighborhood (really no such thing as a safe neighborhood due to prevalant violent crime).  Nathan took a drive around Knysna Heights one afternoon, and there was a "room for rent" sign on the window of his favorite house!  Wasting no time, we called the phone #, met the Ferreira's (couple leasing the house) 1/2 hour later.  They wanted to sublease part of the 2nd floor over the garage... one bedroom/bath and open livingroom/kitchen... plus 1/2 of the garage.  It didn't take a theologian to see that God had provided the perfect place for us to live (especially because the inside is painted blue... Nathan's only color of choice).  We have been enjoying the beautiful view, 4 channels of reception on the TV (didn't have any reception at last flat), wireless internet for pay in the front room and 35mb free wireless/week from the bedroom (which is also another story of God's provision, since the for pay wireless is a fluke... or God's favor because there is no reception from the 1st floor or street for either of these wireless options, but due to the side of the house we are on, and the height we 'accidentally' are in line with the tower next door that sends the signal)

But... all of that is old news! 2 months old anyway...

Last week as we pulled out of the garage, Nathan said "God is going to give us this house!"  Again I said, "Yea, right!!..."(you would think I would have learned by now)"The rent for the whole house is $700/month!"  He said, "You just watch and see!"  The same afternoon when the Ferriera's arrived home from work they came to tell us, "We have accepted a job up north, and last weekend bought a house... no worries for you though, as my wife will stay on here for about 3 months, and the owner (who lives in the UK) has said that you can still rent out your flat, but if you want the whole house you can have first rights.  When they left Nathan looked at me, without even needing to say "I told you so".  Now Nathan has a vision for using the rest of the house to board short term missionaries and international volunteers  (a program that YFC Cape Town utilizes with about 10-15 international volunteers at any one time).  We will still have our little corner, but manage the project... and have access to the awesome living room downstairs with a cool fireplace.  This fits into a bit of my passion, ever since my time in The Gambia, I have had a heart to come along side short term missionaries and sew into their spiritual development.  Please pray with us for provision of bedroom furniture and living room furniture for all the extra rooms (we are using folding camp chairs ourselves in our living room with a folding table to eat from), as well as the extra finances of $400/month to pay the rent until we have volunteers coming on a regular basis.  

"God will give us this house!"

The opportunity to openly preach the gospel of Jesus Christ has been afforded to Nathan... this is a huge privilege!! Over 4,000 students (at 5 different schools) heard God's words of Hope and encouragement in February. The motivating message to pursue schooling even though there are numerous factors of marginalization and poverty impacting their lives, is one that is greatly needed. South Africa suffers from an enormous lack of numeracy and literacy because of a high drop-out rate. Generally Nathan has invitations to speak 1-2 times a week at schools within 40 km of Knysna. Each week he chooses a new topic with a corresponding story from God's Word. (tried to download a video... didn't work... maybe next week!)