2010 Trailer Ministry

I just want to thank God for blessing me with a wonderful week that was filled with happiness, love, courage, protection, and of course, challenges.  I thank the Lord for blessing me with a good group of kids.  My life was changed as I had the chance to learn other people’s stories, how they feel and what they know about God.  So many gave their lives to Jesus and were prayed for the pastor and his friends.  I thank God for his glory.  The kids really enjoyed the EvangeCube and were able to answer all my questions after they saw the EvangeCube.  The children who accepted Christ as their Lord were given Bibles by Aunt Delo and I was able to put my signature in some of them, followed by hugs from the kids!  This was a great Holiday Club and I learned to not be shy and felt at home all the time.  I couldn’t have done this without God by my side and my teammates.  – Naledi Mokibe

God just semed to provide for us, for me, this week.  I began this trip with the midset of leaving it all up to God to provide for me and he did just that, over and over.  There are too many big and small instances to list here, but it was continually amazing.  This certainly strengthened my faith during the mission.

My one moment from the week that stands out most happened only yesterday.  As a soccer coach I have a lot of interaction with the youth but not much exposure with young children.  S this week never seemed to reveal an opportunity to spend too much time with the youngest age groups. Well, yesterday, feeling under the weather and in need of some water, I walked out to the back of the church.  I saw a young boy, maybe 2 or 3, crying, with no one nearby.  I knelt down and asked if he was okay, giving what I assumed was a universal thumbs-pup to signify “I’m okay.”  Well, he didn’t respond.  So I asked if he wanted to go in the church (to join the praise and worship) and he nodded yes.  I stood and offered my index finger to walk him inside; he grabbed hold of my finger so tight and allowed me to talk him inside.  Once up the concrete steps, he ran around to set on the last bench to play, happy again.  So, I smiled and then walked by the gate to continue on my original path, but I stopped to reach in through the bars of the front of the church.  I reached in, rubbed his little head, and he looked up at me.  I gave the thumbs up one more time and said, “Are you okay now?”  Whe he saw the “thumbs-up” signal, he crawled up the bench,,, grabbed the bars, smiled and took his thumbs and rubbed mine – a handshake of theirs.  I had completely forgotten about the handshake in that manner, so when he brushed his thumb across mine and smiled, it just broke my heart.  Tears came to my eyes and I just had to walk away.  I know some may not understand that moment, but I felt God in that moment, perhaps stronger than maybe I ever have, on so many levels.  It is a moment, and a boy I’ll never forget for as long as I live.  That simple moment encompasses all that this mission was about. – Jason Capps

For me it was easy at first, but when days went by I discovered the pain and almost wanted to give up.  But then I prayed to God and he gave me courage to go on with the kids and Holiday Club and never give up.  Sometimes I would see children with their parents and wish I was with my parents too, but then I read this:  “The will of God will not take you where the grace of God cannot keep you.”  Then everything went well, apart from the kids complaining about the food.  The kids gave their lives to Jesus after the EvangeCube session and then were prayed for and given Bibles by Aunt Delo and Naledi.  The kids enjoyed every moment with us and they learned so fast.  The leaders of Mt. Carmel said they were honored to have us there were willing to learn more, and we were willing to learn from them as well. – Desiree Selimane

This was my first international mission trip and my first time out of American, so I had no idea what to expect.  I did not realize how spiritually and emotionally challenging this trip would be, but it was a wonderful experience, nonetheless.  Upon entering the village, I immediately experienced major cultural shock.  I believe that my world perspective has certainly become more realistic, after seeing how some people live in this country.  From the beginning, I realized how grateful I truly am for my life, family, school and church.  Having such a shift in perspective was a challenge for this week that I had to overcome in order to focus on my ministry.  It took me a couple of days.

I loved working with the kids and loving on them.  It was sometimes difficult because of the language barrier, but there is not only one language for love; words are not always needed.  I helped lead the super league songs, the puppet shows and age-group time for grade 4.

But my favorite time was sideline ministry because I felt like it was the most effective.  I really had an opportunity to have real conversations with some of the young teenage girls on Wednesday.  I was sharing the evangecube and playing with bubbles, then I felt a strong calling to share my testimony with them.  At first I wasn’t sure, because only half of them could speak English, but I realized that even if only one person could understand it would be worth it.  I had not shared before with people I did not know, so I wasn’t sure how it was going to go.  As it turns out the teenage girls could relate to my experiences, as I became a Christian when I was 13.  I have also experienced some things that girls all over the world have felt pain from, so I’m glad I shared with them.   Afterwards, one of the girls came and shared her story with me, so that was encouraging to hear.  God is definitely working me to have a heart for middle-school aged girls.

One day when I was feeling emotionally challenged, I went to God in prayer and he immediately calmed me down and taught me that I am only able to see a small piece of the bigger picture and that he is working in BIG ways that I can’t even see yet.  Habakkuk 1:5 spoke to me in light of this.

Another lesson this week was about our safety and security.  At first my team was assigned to stay in woman’s home; her house was very nice in relation to the rest of the village and was surrounded by a security fence, with a security guard.  God impressed on our hearts that he will protect his people, his people that committed to serve him in the unknown.  Following a series of events it was necessary for us to switch host homes on the last night and he again showed up and brought us to a place of security and safety.  The Lord answered many prayers and was present in our ministry and in my life. – Sloan Gutkin

After being on a handful of mission trips, this was perhaps one of the most challenging spiritually, emotionally and relationally.  I feel like I have experienced more growth in the last week than in the past several months.  Spiritually, the team as a whole was under an immense amount of spiritual attack throughout the week.  But as we routinely met God in prayer, He continued to do great things within us and through us.  Romans 8:28 became my motto for the week and the truth that helped protect me from further attack, even when it seemed like church politics and personal agendas were aiming to turn the focus from Jesus to certain community member’s glory.  God still showed up and guided us through His ministry.  Relationally, we struggled to achieve team unity and experienced a lot of conflicting personalities.  As a leader, I learned a lot about conflict management and submitting certain situations to God, discovering a great amount of freedom from it.

There were many successes from the week as well.  We had 200-300 children each day, even after changing locations approximately 2 miles away.  There were 10-15 eager and trained volunteers, an incredible ministry, and many community members who were very curious about what we were doing.  Although we used the evangecube, holiday club and sideline ministries to share the gospel, mostly it seemed that people just needed a reminder of God’s truths.  The kids really loved the evagecube and were sharing the gospel with each other (cool!) – Anonymous

It was a privilege to be part of 2010 Ignite the Flame.  I saw God at work in the energetic enthusiasm of team members.  Whether Americans or South Africans there was a love and commitment to minister to children.  It was exhibited in leading worship, telling Bible stories, puppets, drama, music, dancing and even in washing dishes together.  Team cooperation and unity was as good as I have seen.  That is a testimony to God, with three teams becoming one, plus the local church volunteers.

God was truly at work in the Mt. Carmel youth; they have some great leaders in their group.  The people who cooked all the meals for leadership and breakfast and lunch for the children were true blessings.  It was a joy to see God at work in the children.  They responded to the gospel presentations with the evangecube and J316 ball.  It was a great week all around! – Mike Gray

On the second day our local church volunteers stepped forward and almost ran the program themselves (much better than we did on Monday).  One of our team managed to reach out to drug addicts at the train station, which are people close to our host pastor’s heart.  One of our team members also trained Sunday school teachers, a big need in the local church, emphasizing the importance of the Bible as our resource.  We had a magnificent time connecting with the local people – praising, worshiping God and exchanging songs with the youth.  My highlight for the day was a hungry man from another church who came to ask for food.  I was able to give him a Bible, listen and share with him. – Roxy (OM)

The whole week has definitely been a life-changing experience for me.  Some of the things that we take for granted at home, are like gold here.  Toilet paper is rationed and cleaning supplies are hidden and locked away.  I thought Monday was the hardest day to get everyone organized and in places where they could make the most impact.  The youth team caught on so fast. . .  The evangecube had an impact on many kids.  If you mention Jesus, they really want to listen.  We left blankets for the church, although we didn’t have enough,  I am so glad I came, I can’t explain it.  God is good all the time! – Philip Cortes

This morning I read 3 John 1:2-8 and this tells me God is happy with what all of us have been doing!  Amen!  I believe that Mt Carmel Baptist Church is on the right track.  The youth need a little guidance, but their heart is really in it for God. .  the Holy Spirit is really working through them.  The young ones are in much need of attention, to help them know that someone does care for them..  It was sad to see how hungry the little one’s were when they came in the mornings.  Thank you, Eastside, for sharing this experience with others; God has taught all of us something from this. – Kim Cortes

We had a wonderful week, each day averaging 200 children.  I shared the evangecube with them and they were fascinated.  I then let them use the cube to share with their friends.  Several children approach me and asked me to pray for them – to renew their walk with Christ or  to “keep them from doing bad things.”  Four boys told me they wanted to be born again.  It was an honor and privilege to serve God in this manner. . . .Evangecube during sideline ministry was the best!  They loved it and they heard the salvation message over and over.  I would start and then each child would get a turn to share it with another peer.  I wish we had more Bibles.  They all wanted a Bible and it was heart-breaking that they had such a desire for the Bible. – Delo Bloomfield

We had 257 kids the first day at Tabernacle of Testimony in Wintervelt.  The church was a tent the church rented for this week.  The church usually meets in a house.  Getting a tent is the first thing they need to grow their church.  There were so many kids and they had so much fun.  The highlight of the week was one altar call when 51 kids went up and gave their lives to the Lord.  It was an amazing experience to be a part of.  We hope and pray that the seeds we planted will grow. – Kristen Conrad-Howard

God really showed his power in many ways this week.  First, the team got lost on the way to Phake; by God’s grace we eventually found our way.  We started the ministry on Monday and the turnout was more than amazing.  They cooperated and had fun.  Throughout the week the kids started to show real interest in knowing God; they even asked to see the Jesus film for the second time.  The team had different personalities, and from my view, there could have been misunderstanding, but because God is great, we worked very smoothly. – Mandla