How it all began:
I rededicated my life to Christ in November 2011, experiencing God in a way I had never imagined. Jesus didn't only save me from sin, He saved me from myself, deep-rooted pain, depression, the enemy. Jesus' saving grace filled me with overwhelming love and gratitude. God laid it on my heart to go on a mission trip to share the boundless love and unimaginable grace with people who need Him desperately, as I do. If you have asked me how I connected with Global Expeditions, I probably sheepishly told you, "I googled." That is true, but it also oversimplifies the process and makes me feel silly. That being said, here is the more sophisticated, detailed explanation: Teams from my youth group go on a mission trip every summer, but I felt led toward something different. I began to research, looking for mission trips open to students from across the country and was overwhelmed by the volume of opportunities available. I was praying and sifting through them when I got to a trip led by Global Expeditions to South Africa and Zambia (*spoiler alert* It's the one I'm going on!). At that point, God spoke to me as clearly as if He had spoken audibly and told me this was the one. So I said, "Okay, great. Let's do this." Of course, being 16 presents some challenges. It took two months, but my parents finally agreed to allow me to go to South Africa and Zambia from June 11th to August 2nd, 2012. I'm going!!!!
About the trip:
The trip is with an organization called Global Expeditions, a branch of the Texas-based ministry Teen Mania. This is their mission statement from their website: "Our heartbeat is to provoke a young generation to passionately pursue Jesus Christ and to take His life giving message to the ends of the earth!" Their goal is to equip and train teenagers to be effective witnesses of Jesus Christ and send them to mission fields all over the world, including their own communities when they return home.
My trip begins with a few days in Garden Valley, Texas at GE headquarters, where I will meet my team and receive training. From there, we will fly to South Africa together. At the end of the trip, we spend a day or two back at headquarters to debrief and consider how this experience can affect our everyday lives back home.
In South Africa, I will be working with refugees in squatter camps near Johannesburg. These people have been forced to flee their own countries due to internal conflict, war, and other things. They live in squalid conditions, building shelters out of whatever they can find. They are destitute, having been unable to bring much with them when they fled. My team will be working with an in-country ministry called Impact Africa, serving the refugees to demonstrate the love of Christ and form the basis of a relationship that will help us witness to them. While there, we will be staying in Impact Africa's compound.
In Zambia, we will be camping at an HIV/AIDS orphanage near Lusaka. We will be leading a VBS there, loving and playing with the children and sharing the gospel with them. They are not invisible, they are not unloved, they are not forgotten.
We will also be using other forms of ministry in South Africa and Zambia, most likely presentation of the gospel through drama. I'm not absolutely sure on that, but I will find out when I get to Texas!
I can't wait to tell all of you how God works in and through my team as we go to South Africa and Zambia as the hands and feet of Jesus. I am excited for the ministry that will take place, how it will change me, the new experiences, meeting new sisters and brothers in Christ, too many things to say. I never imagined this day. This is really happening!!!!
My Itinerary:
- June 11 - Arrive in Garden Valley, TX and meet your team
- June 12-13 - Train for your trip to South Africa
- June 14 - Depart fro South Africa
- June 15-July 9 - Minister in South Africa
- July 10 - Head to Zambia
- July 11-July 29 - Minister in Zambia
- July 30 - Spend the day touring
- July 31 - Head back to Garden Valley, TX
- Aug 1 - Spend one last day with your team as you prepare to go home
- Aug 2 - Depart for home and change the world
Flights:
June 11
|
Seattle - Dallas/Ft. Worth
|
7:05 am
|
12:53 pm
|
June 14
|
Dallas - Washington-IAD
|
7:15 am
|
11:24 am
|
June 14
|
Washington-IAD - Johannesburg
|
5:40 pm
|
4:35 pm
|
July 11
|
Johannesburg - Lusaka
|
6:55 pm
|
8:55 pm
|
July 30
|
Lusaka - Johannesburg
|
1:20 pm
|
3:25 pm
|
July 30
|
Johannesburg - Washington-IAD
|
6:50 pm
|
6:25 am
|
July 31
|
Washington-IAD - Dallas
|
5:50 pm
|
8:00 pm
|
August 2
|
Dallas/Ft. Worth - Seattle
|
7:00 am
|
9:04 am
|
Related links:
- Global Expeditions website: www.globalexpeditions.com
- Impact Africa website: www.impactafrica.org
- Trip Facebook page (Updates and picture will be uploaded here as often as possible during the trip): http://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Expeditions-Africa-Mixer-South-Africa-Zambia-C-2012/129259880508698
- To send me a message while I'm gone (I would love to hear from you!): http://www.globalexpeditions.com/sendmessage/
- My Facebook group for the trip (You are more than welcome to join!): http://www.facebook.com/groups/240461446042093/
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