Sanibonani South Africa

2009-06-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

We have one more week left. We knew that when we hit the half way point it was going to fly by, and it really has.

This week we have been doing a lot of manual labor. Dane has kind of been the point person for these exercise bars that are in the middle of a cleared out sugar cane crop that will hopefully be used as a track. Bruce (the head of WITL) is really pushing a healthy lifestyle for the people of Hanville and wanted to see an exercise room (which has already been in use since we have finished it) and these work out bars outside.

Let me tell you, they have been one heck of a task! The boys had to saw these big polls to fit the size of pull-up bars, triceps bar, leg lifts, an one to work out the abs. Then they had to drill holes in the poles for the bars which was a difficult task to get them straight. The girls had to dig all the holes for the poles which took forever because the ground was hard. We all have “kitty paws” which are huge, nasty, blisters on our palms. Not cute! Yesterday morning we filled the holes with cement and will do some last minute work tomorrow.

On Wednesday when the young ones came we did a lesson on fishers of men and made fishing poles that they dangled over a wall and caught a paper fish that they could decorate.

We also harvested corn again which you to be a fun task for us. Now, we are sick of corn! J That’s okay though!

Yesterday I had a fun adventure of learning how to drive a stick shift on the opposite side of the car on the wrong side of the road. Cale gave me my first lesson and then Rory and Jen were brave enough to go out with me on the streets with me while our driver, Phillip, taught me. Rory and Jen were troopers. Rory kept saying that he almost “pooped” himself, and Jen clung to Rory pretty tight a couple of times, but other than that… it was fun! I appreciated when they sang “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus to calm me down when I stalled three times at a traffic light. I’m learning to drive so I can run basic errands when the team leaves so I’m not stranded at the house all the time! Don’t worry, I have insurance!

On Friday the girls had a cool opportunity to go to a place called The Esther House, where I spent time when I studied abroad. It is an interim battered women’s shelter where women can come and stay for three months in order to get back on their feet. I met a girl last year named Smangele and she was my favorite. She’s 17 years old and was at Esther house because her parents abused her. I was actually able to stop by on Thursday for a few seconds to see if she was there by any chance and the women told me no. I figured that. So, when I was there with the other girls from my team we were meeting all of the new women. We were there about 15 minutes and then I heard someone yell my name and I turned around an there was Sma!

It was so crazy! I instantly welled up with tears and just hugged her. I never thought I’d see her again! I found out that she lives not too far from the Esther House with another lady that took her in and sometimes she goes on walks and passes by the Esther house to visit. She said she hadn’t been in a while, but felt like she needed to go and when she got there, one of the women that saw me the day before told her that I was inside looking for her again. It was crazy. When I met her last year she gave me a bracelet that I have worn ever since and it was so cool to show her that I still had it! It has definitely been my favorite moment on the trip to be able to reconnect with her and hopefully continue a relationship while I am still here.

So, as far as things coming up that we could use prayer for…

- Finishing the play ground construction

- “Mudding” the side of a lady’s house that past APU students started

- Youth Day (Tuesday) We’re going with the senior youth to the park for a braii and party

- The concert on Friday night and that it brings in lots of money and people

o Our team is singing a song and we’re not the most vocally talented group! J

The second team is preparing to leave, so please lift them up in prayer as we’re finishing our leg of the journey.

Thanks for your love and support! Keep them coming! J

Love,

Dayna

Ello Mates

2009-06-07T06:46:00.000-07:00

So this isn’t one of those ‘what happened today’ updates. This is more of a general update. We’ve talked as a team with Bruce about projects that we can work on that can be long term but also serve to better the individuals that Walk in the Light interacts with. Bruce shared with us his desire to get a gym going here on the property. So as a group we cleared out an old storage room. In the process of clearing out that room we encountered a few whip scorpions, a mouse that scared the daylights out of our entire team, and enough spiders to start our own spider farm. Once the room was cleared out we laid down some carpeting that we found lying around and soon after painted the room a nice sky blue (perfect muscle building atmosphere). Bruce had an old piece of gym equipment that we dismantled and then put back together properly (very proud of ourselves). As a team we also purchased some exercise balls for the gym. We’re also planning to put up some pull-up bars and make a sort of track that runs along the inside perimeter of Walk in the Light. It was great hearing Dane (athletic training major) explain proper workout technique and the way muscles work to a few of the guys from the community (the confused looks on their faces were priceless). But that gym has been really great already. There’s been a lot of excitement seen in the youth regarding the gym so we’re encouraged. We’re praying that the gym will be something that can give people within the community a.) something to do so their boredom won’t lead to promiscuity and b.) provide the people an opportunity to improve their physical health. This seems like a project that can be continued long after our missions trip has ended.

We’ve also worked on setting up a preschool at Walk in the Light. If you drive through the neighborhood during the day it is quite obvious that there is a need for a preschool. There is one childcare place that Bruce refers to as ‘Day Prison’ because the infants just stand around all day. But we got a few rooms set up, got some toys in them, and have a few more ideas that we’re going to run with. It’s great having a team that is so idealistic because we’re always trying to figure out what improvements we can make next.

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but every weekday a few of us go with Bruce to take some people in the community to the neighborhood medical clinic. Nicole and I go together and each time has been both different and difficult. We got to sit down and pray for a young woman whose husband had died the day before. We took two AIDS infected brothers to the clinic. These guys looked so gaunt and defeated. They wore baggy clothes hoping to hide their emaciated bodies. It was unreal. It’s very obvious that 60% of the community is infected with HIV/AIDS. In the states if I met someone with HIV it would be a huge deal. But here, it’s almost numbing because of how frequent you meet and become friends with people that are battling HIV/AIDS. I’m probably writing far too much. This is a team blog so I’ll keep it on team issues.

As far as the youth is concerned, there have been over 50 kids at Walk in the Light the past few days. It’s great that so many kids come, but it’s hard when you have 3 kids on your back, 1 on each foot, and then 5 more screaming your name. But that’s a great problem for us to have.

We’re all loving each other. We’re doing great and get sad when we realize that our time here at Walk in the Light will soon come to an end. Keep praying for the team and that we stay motivated and don’t grow weary.

Joyful in Hope. Patient in Affliction. Faithful in Prayer.

Love you all

-Rory

More from the team!

2009-05-31T05:28:00.000-07:00

Hey friends & family this is Nicole. Just wanted to give you a little update on what we have been up to the past few days. On Monday we got to harvest corn. I love food so I was really looking forward to harvesting & eating the corn. Harvesting corn is a lot more work than I thought it was going to be, but it was fun. We first picked the corn off the field then we put it in the back of a truck where we took it to be shucked. There was a total of 17 people working on this project. A few of us shucked then it was cut into smaller pieces. Four of us then got the corn looking nice to be packaged. Cynthia sealed each corn container with saran wrap for three hours! It was quite the experience. I have a new appreciation for people that do that on a regular basis. It is a lot of work & it takes a while. Fortunately we did help out a lot, it usually takes the six of them three days to do what we did in five hours. Bruce drove the corn to a farmers market in Durban where it is sold for about eight rand a package. I would have to say we all enjoyed eating the sweet corn.

ARMOR OF GOD

Sanibonani everyone! This is Jen! We are about half way into our trip and still going strong! Our days are filled with tasks to do, pb&j sandwiches, bananagrams, journaling, and playing with kids. The boys have been working on carpeting the gym and the girls have been painting the preschool. On Wednesdays, we plan a Bible lesson for the smaller kids. This week, we did the armor of God. The kids seemed to really enjoy the lesson, especially with Rory as our armor model. They rarely have crafts for the kids so we wanted to make sure they had their own armor. We made them a breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation. They had a chance to decorate them however they liked. One girl put “God helps me” on her helmet of salvation and Nicole thought it said “God help me.” Good thing Nicole was wrong, that would have been really sad. We took so many pictures that day so we will attach a couple to the blog. We hope you are all doing well back in the states! We are loving it here but missing you as well!

Fundraiser and Team

Hello there folks! How’s it me brew? Well we’re half way through. It’s going by at a good pace, I am just dreading how fast it could come to an end. We have a lot scheduled in the next couple of weeks. We’re trying to put on a fundraiser concert for the youth in Haniville so they can raise money for a youth camp they can go to in July. We’re trying to have the youth sing and our team can do a few songs as well, although we’re not too musically talented, so that’ll be fun! We’re really hoping to get the youth involved in planning this with us so they can put it on again after we leave. We’re hoping it’ll get pulled together in time for June 19^th.

The team overall is doing pretty well. I really feel so blessed to be working along side these people. I get an ab workout from all the laughing we do together. Listening to each person try to learn Zulu and all of the fancy clicks is hilarious! Personally, I am learning a lot from my team. I am learning what it looks like to serve God in ways that I am not used to from my team mates and have been challenged mentally and spiritually in places that my mind does not go. I am not looking forward to June 22^nd, when the team leaves because these 9 people have become my family. I am excited for the next couple of months at Walk in the Light, although I think it’ll be more challenging when they are not here.

A couple of nights ago Jen and I passed out letters to our team written by friends and family. It was so encouraging to read your kind works and prayers for us. It was a good reminder. Thank you for that. Please pray for…

* The planning of the concert

* Bruce: He has such a heart for this ministry and I’m sure it could be draining at times.

* Continued unity as a team

* Safety and good health

Jen working hard in the corn field

The team having dinner
In Pietmaritzburg at the Ghandi statue
The elephant that we saw and got to get out of the van and take pictures with!
He was pretty big!!!

The armor of God : arts and craft day!
Group picture of all of the young ones that come on Wednesday!
After picking 2,500 ears of corn!!!
Cynthia and Dayna picking corn!
Cale & the corn Some of the youth

Rory and the boy who wants to be called Rory Todd because we can't pronounce his name!

Dayna and Cienda! DIVAS!

Twilight!!!

2009-05-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

Sanibonani Friends & Family!

Okay, so I know that this isn't pertinent to our missions related work, but I have two funny stories for you.

First, for those of you who know me, I hate feet. Well, since I'm in Africa, I was chillin' with an elephant and it's trunk sucked on my feet and I freaked out and screamed. I got in trouble and my team got mad at me... but I had shmuts on my feet and that wasn't cool!!!

Second... We are getting up at 6:00 a.m. pretty much every day and feel like grandmas and grandpas because we are ready for bed around 9:00 p.m. Not the typical college kid schedule, but we got to get our beauty rest. So, on Friday night we decided to try to stay up later since Saturday is our day of rest. So, for those of you who know me, the team agreed to watch TWILIGHT with me!!! :) It was magical!

I am a firm believer that God wants us to enjoy our time here and serving God can be done with a smile on our face!

Thanks for your prayers!

Dayna!

What's been going on!

2009-05-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

FROM ALLIE: Home visits & walking through Haniville

We have been here at walk in the light for a week now and each day we are discovering more and more about God and about the ministry Bruce has begun in Haniville. One aspect of Bruce’s ministry is picking up patients from the township who need to receive meds or treatment and take them to the local clinic or the hospital in town. Most of the men and women that Bruce picks up are sick with TB or HIV or both. Many of the patients do not have the ability to get to the clinic on their own because they are so weak or don’t have a mode of transportation.

On the second day we went through Haniville and did home visits. Most of the people we visited are sick with TB and HIV. It has been difficult to see so much sickness and pain. I am constantly being reminded of how precious life is and how comfortable the life I live is. Each day Bruce picks up anywhere from five to eleven patients and transports them to the clinic. It is hard to imagine this being my every day reality. I think that seeing this much poverty and disease has been hard for all of us. I know for me personally it has brought up questions of why do I get to live the life I live? Why am I so privileged?

Bruce talked about how the goal of his ministry was to love his neighbor, and for Walk in the Light, Haniville is their direct neighbor. They are just across the street from the community. I am really wrestling with the question of how can I love my neighbor? What would it look like if we all loved our neighbor the way that God calls us to love each other? I would say that through my past trips the children of Africa have taught me how to love and live with joy. My heart’s desire is to learn how to live with reckless faith and learn how to empower the people of Haniville.

I think that is one thing that Walk in the Light is doing, they are empowering their neighbors and teaching them how to care for one another, how to lift each other up as brothers and sisters in Christ. Working with Bruce has been such a blessing already. I feel like there is so much I have to learn from him. It has been incredible working side by side with him.

FROM SARAH: Bible studies with the youth

Our team has experienced one week of helping and observing the daily happenings of Walk in the Light. I think we are now becoming settled and will be able, week by week, to be comfortable and take on more tasks. Almost every day after school the kids of Haniville come to Walk in the Light to play. We’ve been playing soccer, getting dominated by their superior soccer skills, playing games, singing songs, and just sitting and talking. The children have been teaching us bits of Zulu and also some intense dances, which we have yet to perfect. :) After play time we go into the church for some Bible lessons. There are three different age groups that we’ve been involved in on different days: the Junior Youth (ages 12-15), the Senior Youth (ages 16-18), and Young Adults (19 and early 20s). It’s been really interesting and fun getting to know the youth of this community. We’re looking forward to developing relationships with our next four weeks.

Also, Bruce (who heads up the ministry) has a lot of great ideas that involve us working with the older youth to start up some programs for the younger ones. Hopefully, these programs will last much longer than our short stay here. Other than that, I’ve enjoyed seeing the people of this community worship God and share their joy with us. There is a lot of potential here for collaborative work and thriving relationships. We’ve all expressed thankfulness for being able to be involved in what is going on here.

CYNTHIA: Cleaning up the preschool and sorting clothes

Our first week at Walk in the Light has been filled with many different ministry opportunities. On Friday, we had the chance to clean out rooms next to the church that will become the classrooms of the preschool at Walk in the Light. It was pretty dusty, so much so that we took little shifts sweeping the rooms. Dane and Erin had bandanas covering their mouths…DIVAS. We collected so much dust in our mucus that all of our snot was black, YUCK! It was nice to see the progression of this ministry and how we can help.

While cleaning another room, the boys discovered the mythical creature known as a water scorpion. For those of you who aren’t familiar, this is a huge spider that still haunts Rory and Dane in their sleep…haha. On Thursday, our team sorted through clothes donated to Walk in the Light. We separated them into men and women’s clothing and then into age groups. After separating them, we got to make outfits. The great thing about our team is our ability to make every project into a fun activity. For example, a seemingly boring task like sorting clothes became a fun time finding cute outfits. We plan to pass out the clothes to the people of Haniville on Monday.

A hilarious moment during our day of sorting clothes was the infamous “poop panties”. Part of sorting clothes included going through undergarments that were sketchy to say the least. Not only were the panties large enough to pass as circus tent but more than half of them were also stained with poop! Not only had some woman almost pooped her pants everyday but she had decided to donate all of these poop panties to a church…LOL.

FROM ERIN: Clinic Runs-

Every morning throughout the week, Walk in the Light provides transportation for those who need to be taken to the local free clinic to get their medication. Our team has split up into 4 groups, and every day we trade off going with Bruce (or Neils) and Pandile on these clinic runs. The other day Dane, Allie, and I went along with Neils on one of these runs. We picked up a 24 year old guy named TK and took him to get his meds. The clinic is located at the bottom of the hill, right below the township of Haniville.

Many people will walk there to have their daily check-ups, however, there are many others who either literally can’t walk there themselves or they simply won’t go because of the long walk back uphill home. Currently, there are only a couple nurses who are working at the clinic, so many of the people have to wait outside for hours before they get a chance to go in.

We’re looking forward to building relationships with the people Bruce and Neils takes to the clinic regularly, and we’re hoping to encourage the other people of Haniville who aren’t taking advantage of the free clinic to start taking better care of themselves by letting Walk in the Light give them a free ride to get their medication.

Getting on the plane in Cape Town to Durban!

This one is for Claudia Todd. It's Rory Todd at the Cape of Good Hope- the Light House

The gang (minus Dane, because the sea food platter didn't settle well with him!) at the southern most point in Africa!

This is Cale in the London airport when he was sick. He will probably be made that I posted this! Oh well!

More pictures to come.... We haven't uploaded any pictures of us at Walk In the Light, but they'll be coming! :)

5 Days In...Still Breathing...

2009-05-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

So today is our last day in Cape Town. As Dayna mentioned in an earlier post, we've been taking part in a homestay. Everyone on our team has been staying with a family that has agreed to house us temporarily and let us get a taste of South African culture. Jen and Allie are staying together with a woman they absolutely adore. Sarah, Nicole, Erin, and Cynthia are staying with a family that has fed them enough food for a small army, and they are absolutely loving that! Dayna, Cale, Dane, and Rory (me) are staying with a great family that has treated us like their own children. Dayna has been a trooper, but she has probably had her fill of testosterone these passed few days. Through living with these families, we have had the opportunities to sit down and talk with them about racial issues, political issues, economic issues, and health concerns. It's been great to get a firsthand point of view on all of these things that until now, we've had to read in books or online. Many of the inequalities that we see here are similar to that of those see in the States, however, I found that the inequalities here seemed to be of a greater magnitude, and nearly everywhere you look. I could write all night about all the things I've learned and perspectives I've heard in the passed few days, but that can be saved for another time.
As a team, we are still loving each other. My oldest brother asked if I would get sick of my team after awhile, well, I haven't. Granted, it's only been a few days haha. But seriously, I love everyone and it's been fun seeing the different sides of everyone.
We head to Peitermartizburg tomorrow where we will begin our missions work. We know that God has us here for a reason and we cannot wait to see the opportunities He creates for us. Pray that God gives us wisdom and grace to allow Him to work through us. We are all so excited to get started.
In wrapping things up, I'll say that we have all adjusted to the time change fairly well so thank God for that. Dane and Cale are feeling much better after being friends with the barf bag for a quick bit. I'm obviously the superior male seeing how I haven't got sick yet!! K that's all for now, thanks for all your prayers and we will update you again as soon as possible.
<3
Rory

WE DIDN'T DIE IN A HORRIBLE CAR CRASH!!

2009-05-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

Hey gang!

I don't know how long we're going to keep this blogging thing up, but 1 a day... I mean that's pretty special. Anyways, today we spent the day checking out Cape Town and it has been awesome witnessing South Africa's beauty and diversity firsthand. Dane took his turn throwing up today (2 of the boys down) and suggests you beware of Whimpy's seafood.

Our team ventured to Cape Point, which is known as the most southwestern tip of Africa (the world because no one counts Antarctica). It is also the "rough/debated" meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, making it a unique place for wildlife (both on land and in the sea). It was rainy and windy, but this did not stop us from enjoying the view and the company.

As we saw so much of Cape Town, we also saw Lavendar Hill, which is a township that runs off the drug trade, gangs, and prostitution. This was in stark contrast to the million dollar homes just down the road on Cape Town's coast. Though we are familiar with poverty in the states, it might be more tangible and easier to pinpoint here, making it a shocking experience for all of us. The cultural diversity is so intriguing and beautiful in many ways, but the reminants of the Apartheid are very apparent. It is obvious why this place is considered the "rainbow nation." (rainbow = diversity, not San Francisco)

If you're reading this post, that probably means we love you. So WE LOVE YOU!!

South Africa - May (*CALE*)

WE DIDN'T DIE IN A HORRIBLE PLANE CRASH!!!

2009-05-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hey Dudes!!!!

So, we made it! 10 hours from L.A. to London. 4 hour layover. 11 and a half hours from London to Cape Town. Yikes! Oh, and Cale had the stomache flu for both flights. Wow, it has been a tad on the nutty side thus far, but we hung in there! We love this place! Of course, we wish that each and every one of you could come and be a part of this with us, but we definitely feel your prayers. We already have plenty of stories to tell you, from the couple performing some PDA next to/on Rory, to Dayna's middle name being used at customs, and Cale's run in with the beggar at the mall. Our first meal in country was good, we ate at Whimpy's. Make you sure you don't ask for a napkin, that means something else. Oh, and water is either still or sparkling. We all love our hosts for our homestays, and our driver Godfrey is awesome too! Needless to say, we are all minorities here, but it's a refreshing experience and we can't wait to actually get out into the local community and mix it up with the nationals. That's it for the first post, there really isn't a lot more we can tell you other than little anecdotes. We are all super tired and heading to bed for the earliest time since we were probably 8 years old. Love you all!
Dane

Yeah, we're finally here! :) The plane ride wasn't too bad. Cale and I got moved to the front of the row so we had more leg room. About five hours into the flight he looked at me, SUPER pale faced and said, "Dayna... I think I'm going to throw up. What should I do?" I guess my reaction was to stick out my hands in front of his mouth, but that was stupid. After that, it was about five hours standing in the back of the plane. It was kind of nice because I could walk around while he puked his guts out. I was actually pretty worried for a while, but the flight attendants were really nice and helpful.

It's already weird being back. I'm staying at my old home stay, and it's like I never left. For those who I studied abroad with, me & Jen are always tapping each other and saying, "Oh remember that?" and laughing! :) We miss you guys!

We actually got to Cape Town when there is a big storm hitting. That's a bummer. We are just here until Monday to see some historical landmarks and to get acclimated to the time change.

More to come, but your prayers for health and rejuvination would be greatly appreciated!
Love,
Dayna

The end of the beginning!

2009-05-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

So we're done training and tomorrow is finally here! Our flight takes off at 9:15 p.m. from LAX airport. We have a four hour lay over in London and then we're off to Cape Town.

We can hardly believe it is here! Right now we're all running around like crazy making the last minute Target/Walmart runs!

Jen and I met this morning with the Office of World Missions (The office that sends out teams helps organize spring break and summer mission trips). Jen and I feel that we are as prepared as we can be and have a couple of prayer requests we'd like to share with you.

* Safe travels

* Good health

* Rejuvenation

* Walk in the Light and a smooth transition into the organization

* Protection from spiritual warfare.

Jen and I talked this morning about how good our team is doing as a whole which means that Satan is probably freaking out right about now! I know he has a lot to be scared of because we are a power house team with a lot of passion and drive. We would really appreciate knowing that you all are covering us in prayer and are thinking about us.

Although a lot of us are exhausted after finals and the chaos of moving out and graduation, we are so excited for what lies ahead. One of the staff members from OWM said something very powerful that challenged me as a leader and servant of God. She said something to the effects of, "I pray that this trip won't be good. I pray that it is great." Today, this is my prayer for our team.

Thanks again for your love, prayers and support. We wouldn't be getting on the plane tomorrow if it wasn't for the friends and family that have helped with this leg of the journey. This part of our journey is coming to a close and tomorrow is another day.

What's been going on?

2009-04-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

So, what have we been up to? Two words: Training and fundraising!

Our team meets once a week for a couple of hours to do a life story, prayer together, learn zulu, sing some South African praise songs, learn about the country's history, plan fundraisers and to simply enjoy each other. I always really look forward to this time. Seriously, these people are great and it has become one of the highlights of my week!

As far as fundraising things we have done...

- Support letters: It's pretty well known that this is where the majority of our funding comes from and we cannot thank people enough for their donations. I have come to under that there are multiple parts to a "missions team". Some people are physically called to go, while other people are called to support through prayer and finances. Both are equally important and I thank those of you who have committed to donate, prayer and simply read about what we are doing. THANK YOU!

-Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt: This was a great kick off to the fundraising events. We partnered with a new frozen yogurt shop and advertised to the student body that would receive 20% of the purchase. It was such an encouragement to see how many students came out to support our team. It really made me feel loved and hopeful by the great turnout.

- Headbands, scarves, Cake balls and other baked goods: Our team sat on Cougar Walk (The "quad" area at APU) for a couple of hours a day for two weeks and sold a variety of fabrics that made for great head band and scarves. We also baked up a storm of cookies, brownies, puppy chow (aka muddy buddies) and cake balls. It was a big hit and, again, felt very supported by our friends.

- Baby sitting: Last Saturday we were able to partner with Foothill Church in Glendora where they let us use their facilities so we could watch some kids. We did our best to advertise to local churches and the APU faculty, however there were very little responses. So, the day of, we weren't thinking too positively. We had five kids show up (a total of three families) and really did have a blast playing with them. When the parents came to pick up their kids we were SHOCKED with the huge donations that we received and considered the day a much bigger success than we anticipated.

- America's Funniest Home Videos: We're looking forward to anothe

r fundraising opportunity where we get paid $16 per person to go watch a TV show taping of America's Funniest Home Videos on April 19th. W

e are hoping to get 50 people to join us!

So, we honestly have been pretty busy working out all of these fundraising events. It takes a lot of out of you. But God really has provided.

We were also able to go on a retreat at a camp ground called Rancho La Sherpa in Santa Barbra, CA. The retreat was February 13-16. We were able to laugh together, pray together and really get to know each other and feel more comfortable with each other. There were sessions that talked about spiritual ware

, the importance of being culturally a

ware, spiritual gifts and so many other issues that challenged us as a team.

One of the most memorable things we did was something called "The Broken Bread Meal". The whole weekend we ate so much, definitely more than normal. But the last night we walked into the main room and were served one bowl of this green corn meal "soupy paste". It was a moving night that really put into perspective how eating is such a communal ritual we partake in three times a day, while other people in other countries eat as a form of surviving and can barely eat once a day.

That weekend really bonded us and, in my opinion, energized us to become as equipped as we could for the six weeks we will spend in South Africa.

More to come...

Meet the team!

2009-04-05T22:06:00.001-07:00

Jennifer Brueckner: (CO-LEADER): Jr: Psychology: Long Beach, CA

We studied abroad together and she became one of my closest friends. I think we really compliment each other as leaders. I like to call her "gentle Jen" and I'm "demolition Dayna"! I am very privileged to lead with her and she has already taught me so much and been a true friend.

Allie Salyer: Freshmen: Sociology

San Diego, CA

I like to call her "Sassy Allie". She is the youngest on the team and offers such great perspective. She has been to South Africa twice, Uganda and the Dominican Republic. Her room in the freshmen dorm has beautiful pictures of African children that would seriously capture your heart and make you never want to let them go.

Rory Todd: Junior: Communications: Whittier, CA

One thing you have to know about the guys on our team is that they are all hilarious. Rory definitely has a contagious and encouraging personality that really makes people brighten up. Rory decided to do a medical experiment involving anti-inflammatory drugs in order to pay for his down deposit for the trip. We're glad he's still alive after being injected with needles and stuff for three days.

Nicole Hammer: Jr: Psychology: Forest Falls, CA

This girl is known for her "thinking" face on our team! We always laugh because she has this very pensive and thoughtful look to her. It's cute! Nicole has such a gentle spirit and is always willing to volunteer. This is really going to be a huge gift that will be a blessing when we're in South Africa. She adds balance to the team and will be someone that we can all count on.

Dane Miklaus: Jr: Athletic Training: Sacramento, CA

Yep, we have another funny one. Although Dane knows how to make people laugh and his spunk is pretty charming, he knows how to go deep. He is always looking for ways to push himself, push the team and get the most out of things. At the end of Dane's interview we asked if he had any questions for us, he pulled out a whole notebook full. We knew we wanted him! :)

Cynthia Siguenza: Jr: Biochemistry: Glendora, CA

She has goals and sets them. Her discipline will be huge for our team. She has a very soothing presence that is just comfortable to be around. She wants to be a doctor and will be taking the MCAT shortly after she gets back from South Africa. She even stayed up late after intense days of training during our retreat in order to study. I wish I had her discipline.

Erin Channing: Jr: Cinema and Broadcast Arts: Yorba Linda, CA

Her contagious laugh and smile will really benefit the team when times get hard. She likes to have fun and her joy will be infectious. She was our first interview and wore yellow, like the sun, and it was apparent she was so willing to serve God. Erin is my neighbor this year and I have really enjoyed getting to know her.

Sarah Wesley: Sr: Sociology: Sacramento, CA

Sarah went to South Africa last summer with another APU mission team and absolutely fell in love with the country. She is one of those people you just need a on team. I knew Sarah wanted to go back some day, but it was so random when I asked Sarah "Why don't you come?" She had no good reason to say no, and now look where we are! She is graduating in May and we'll be staying the whole summer together in South Africa.

Cale Erickson: Jr: Cinema Broadcast Arts: Modesto, CA

He was definitely the missing piece to our team. Jen and I originally picked a team of nine, but for some reason, as cheesy as it sounds, we were missing something. When Cale came along, we knew that his gentle heart and ability to love and serve wholeheartedly was exactly what we needed. Cale is great with kids and is always willing to serve without complaining.

So that's the team. I've felt this for a while now, and I know it will hold true... I do not think there are any other people that could have been on this team. During the interview process, Jen and I were so torn by who to pick and how would we know if this is what God wanted? We had to constantly stay in prayer and asked him to make it as clear to us as possible. Our team really did fall into place. It has been great training with them so far, and it'll be a huge honor and blessing to serve God alongside these people in South Africa.

Sanibonani South Africa

2009-04-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

Sanibonani South Africa- Hello South Africa!

Although this journey is well underway, this is the beginning of my blog, and the best way I think I can bring you all along on this adventure. I have a lot to catch you up on!!!

Where to begin? I'll start back 6 months ago in October 2008. At Azusa Pacific University, there is an Office of World Missions (OWM) who sends out about 20 "Focus International" teams of students all around the world. I have never been apart of a Focus International team but one day I was praying and God really put it on my heart to seek out this office to start a new team to go to South Africa and work at a work cite where the study abroad semester spends time. I also really felt God saying to talk to Jennifer Brueckner to see if she would be interested in helping me propose the team and co-leading it with me. When I talked to her about it briefly one day after chapel, I could tell she could see my excitement and was definitely on board with the same energy and enthusiasm.

After Jen an I were on the same page, it was a roller coaster to get the trip approved. OWM had never sent a Focus International team to the ministry site we were proposing, WALK IN THE LIGHT, and to be honest, after meeting with someone from the office, they kind of shut down the idea because, at the time, they were already thinking of sending two teams to South Africa, and three would be too many.

Now, for those of you who really know me... I don't take "no" very easily. Off course I kept nagging on them and sent as many e-mails as I could to get administration on board with this idea. Jen and I worked on the proposal for the work cite, and when I went to turn it in to OWM, the person looked at me really confused and had the look on his face like, "Didn't I already tell you no?"

So needless to say, my constant nagging as a child and always asking "why?" paid off... Thank mom and dad!!! :) It really did take a long time to get the trip approved and for Jen and I to be approved as a co-leader team, but God taught me a lot about perseverance through that time and to really hold strong to His words. Countless times I was told "No Dayna, this trip isn't going to happen", and it really made me doubt the fact that God had laid this on my heart. However, it took a lot of prayer and deliberation to discern (from many people) that this IS what God wanted.

So... That brings you up to date about how this whole process began. I really do feel, and have not doubted since, that this is a place where God wants APU to go and for me to go back to. Although I am co-leading a team of 9 other people, I feel like this is a very individual journey for me and God, where He is going to continue to mold me into the person that He has equipped me to be.

Sanibonani South Africa!