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| image via moth-design.blogspot.com |
Hey everyone! This is a little off course from what I usually do but
it’s something very close to my heart and I wanted to share it with all of you on my birthday.
Although I
love fashion and sewing, being Christian is actually the most important part of
my life. Since moving back to Calgary I’ve realized how blessed I am to have so
many resources and I just want to give back in some way. To be quite honest,
one of the reasons I’ve been blogging less is because the more time I spend
learning about how other people around us are struggling, I’ve been finding it
rather difficult to spend so much time focusing on myself.
This summer I
have the opportunity to go South Africa with a group of 11 people from my
church and I am really stoked to be a part of this. The whole team is really
excited to be on this journey and we have been working hard training and
preparing for our time there. Our group will be working along side African
Leadership who has been serving the people of South Africa for over 16 years. Here
is some information about whom we will be serving and caring for and what we
will be involved in:
·
WHERE: Khayelitsha was the government’s solution to the ever-growing black
population within the city of Cape Town during the apartheid. It was illegal
for the natives to enter the ‘white’ areas, so they camped out near the city,
hoping that they could find a job and support their family. This temporary
living area is now the permanent home for 1 million Xhosa people who find it
difficult to get out of the social standing that has been pre-determined for
them.
·
WHO: Xhosa people are the second largest native group in South African and
have been living in the area for hundreds of years. Most of these people in
Cape Town and Khayelitsha are now living in shacks made from scavenged
materials. Due to many factors, they fall victim to poverty, broken families,
crime, AIDS and hopelessness.
·
WHAT: Of the many ministries that African Leadership has initiated, we will be
involved in the Children’s churches and pre-schools, serving kids in
Khayelitsha and training local teachers as well as creating a curriculum for
the children’s programs. Our group will also be a part of building projects of
new pre-schools in the different local communities. We may also be working with
youth through the Sports Outreach, redirecting their energy to enable them to discover
their purpose and identity in Christ. We will also be a part of an outreach to
the children and people of Transkei (rural part of South Africa).
·
WHEN: We are going as two different teams. The first team is going from June
1-17 and I am in the second team that will be going July 6-21, 2013
· WHY in the world am I doing this: This year my church has
been reading a book together called "Radical". It's all about how as christians we've can no longer continue
living the "American dream" when we are called to give up everything
and help the poor. So the whole church has been challenged to live a more
Christ like life style, and go out of our comfort zone to help the less
fortunate. This has been an incredibly difficult journey for me, and I'm still
so far from giving up everything for the poor. But, this is a journey and going
to South Africa is a part of my journey. I'm obviously not going to change a
whole lot in just one short term missions trip but I'm praying that this
experience will change me to be more giving and loving. So why South
africa? I've pretty much decided to just go big on this trip and really step
out of my comfort zone. It will be very different, I still have a lot to learn
about South Africa but I'm really excited.
Now I know not all of you share in the same faith as me
and I realize that we are all on a different spiritual journey. But let me say
that this is not just about our own personal beliefs but also more importantly
about bringing change and hope to the children and people of South Africa.
African Leadership’s philosophy is bringing transformation to the culture of
South Africans through education, job skills, encouragement, and spiritual
wholeness. I believe in what African Leadership is doing and their passion to
bring hope to the young children they serve and care for.
I hope I have explained clearly the purpose
of our mission trip and a sense of my passion for caring for the people of
South Africa. But you may also be wondering what is that we as a team need from
you. Our team is trying to fundraise approximately $22,000 to help cover the
cost of this trip and supplies that we need to take over. This amount is not a small
number so we are reaching out to see who might be want to be a part of our
cause and a part of our team through financial support. We realize that it is
an awkward conversation when it comes to money but we believe in this with all
our heart and we believe that many of you would love to be a part of this in
your own way. If you want to be a part of our team through financial support
please see below for details. (Note: All support is tax receiptable.)
Finally and most importantly we are asking
people to support our team, African Leadership, and the people of South Africa
through prayer. Just as important as financial support, we believe that prayer
support is more important. There is something incredibly significant and
powerful when a group of people is gathered together in prayer for something
that God considers “good, right and just”. We definitely need your prayers!
If you have any questions or in need of more
information about our trip or our team please feel free to leave me a message
Thanks for taking the time to read this and supporting my blog!
If you
would like to make a donation online, you can go here.
and make
a note that the donation is for South Africa missions for "allyssa"
and your name. Thanks!
