Because the end is near it not only rains, it pours. Thankfully God gave us umbrellas (his power and love). It started with a new born (actually a 7 week old that looked like she was just born) and a mother. Three of our girls were walking in the township of Toyko Sexwhale when they spotted a mother they met in the clinic. The mother was drunk and holding her baby like she was just an old bag of potatoes. Come to find out the mother has no way of feeding the baby or giving any kind of care. She didn't even know how to properly hold the child. Our girls wanted to run off with the baby especially after the mother said she was going to sell the little girl. With wisdom and the power of the Lord our girls dragged the mother away from the tavern and took her home. Heather and I brought over some formula and watched Hilliary teach this mother how to make a bottle, feed the child, and how to hold her. We brought in another woman we know who is going to check up on this mother and continue to train her how to be the best mother she can. Keep this little girl and mother in your prayers. The baby needs a lot of caring.

Another call came in that same day. A little boy, at Ithemba after school program, had gone into what we think is a seizure.  With no luck at the local doctor and then no luck at the local hospital we were told to take him an hour away to the Port Elizabeth hospital.  The women of Ithemba went on a hunt for the boy's mother. Thankfully right before the ambulance took off for PE the mother was found.  I must say our team did an excellent job of remaining calm and acting fast. The boy had recently been to see a Sangoma (local "witch doctor") so lots of prayer is needed over him as he may be fighting more than just a physical battle. It was a blessing that the boy was at Ithemba that day because the girls said he never comes. Praise the Lord for His timing. The boy is still undergoing a lot of test so please continue to pray.

Yet another call came in from our security department, our house had been broken into. Thankfully we were all out of the house. We think they watch the neighborhood to see when people leave their homes. They did get away with one of our students computers and both of mine and Tag's Ipods. They got our computer but dropped it on the way out (it still works!). We are being as smart as we can. No one is ever left at the house alone and we are tying to keep a van in the driveway at all times. Please pray for our safety.

The enemy knows we are on our last 2 weeks of this journey and that we are emotional and tired. He going to try to wear us down as much as he can but the power of our Lord is stronger and we are all fighters. Our students got some extra rest this morning and are ready to face another day. They each are going out with a lot on their shoulders so please keep praying for them as these last few days will probably be the most challenging.

    Three of our students were burdened this year for a local township tavern. The girls have to pass the tavern each day in order to get to ministry.  Not only do our students have to pass it but many children have to pass it on the way to school. There is constantly people around the tavern drinking all through out the day, so it's not the safest place.

     At the start of the year Amber, Cassie, and Sarah asked God to protect them as they passed by each day and also to take away the fear they had as they passed it. In praying God layed it on their hearts to somehow change, buy, or tear down it down. Over Christmas, Amber went home and was given $2000.00 to help purchase the building. Everyone came home from Christmas break and we all fasted and prayed for God's direction with the tavern.

     The first step in the process was to speak with the owners of the tavern. With God's strength and power the girls approached the owners and were given a shock of there lives. God wanted relationships to be grown through this process. Joel and Pela (the owners) were in need of true friends and some to talk to. It's been over 3 months now and we are seeing God work in Joel and Pela's lives.  Pela has come out saying "I wish this wasn't a tavern but it's my only means of income".

      Amber and Sarah presented Pela with an idea to feed some street kids 2 days a week in the morning when the tavern in closed. Praise the Lord she agreed to this. Pela, along with another Christian woman, will be using the tavern to feed street kids. The funding has come from many friends and family back in the states. We pray that God will continue to use the tavern and one day rebuild it into something completely center around our Lord.  Keep Pela and Joel in your prayers as God continues to work in them and use them to better their community.

The challenge I have been handed I am grateful to bare. When we told God that we would go to Africa and fulfill his purpose for us we answered a strange call. We truly believe that we are doing exactly what God wants us to do. That being discipling the 15 college students that live upstairs. We have poured our hearts and bodies in to that cause, and feel as though we are gaining ground. It is odd though to call yourself a missionary and not do the typical things that missionaries do. Like plant churches and use outdoor bathrooms. We live in a small beach town, have electricity and running water, and get to speak English most of the time. Don't get me wrong it's still Africa. It's hot, dirty, the food is terrible, and there is the constant looming threat of having diarrhea. I talk to a lot of people back home, and they always want to know what we do on a daily basis. It is a difficult question to answer because every day is different. I am not sure if this will be helpful to any of you, but maybe it will answer some of those questions.

Everyday we wake up to the sunrise at 5am; not because we want to wake up, but simply because of poor window placement in our room. We eventually start sweating and have to get out of bed to take a hot shower. Three days of the week we begin the day by teaching a three hour discipleship class. The other mornings I either go to church, work on vans, shuttle students around, work on the house, meet with the other leaders, cram 25 street kids in an 8 passenger van and take them for a ride, clean the van after the street kid ride, take someone to the hospital, or meet with local pastors and ministry directors.

In the afternoon we play catch-up for a while and then make our way to one of our ministry sites. Holly has written about one of them below.

After ministry time we go home and usually have a one on one meeting either during or after dinner. This is the meat of our ministry here. Going deep with the students is what makes our hearts beat.

As you can see our days are crowded and making time for each other has to be a priority or it gets lost in the mix of things. God has blessed us with amazing co-leaders who force us to get away even when we could get lost in our team.

Well that is a bit of our day to day. Thanks for all of your prayers and support.

Peace and Love,

Tag

                          JOSHUA PROJECT

Our team has gotten involved with a project in J-Bay called  Joshua Project.  About 10 years ago two guys from Holland came to J-Bay to start a program for street kids. In the morning the older kids get an education for free and in the afternoon some of the younger kids come in for education. It's also a place for food and safe fun. The men are Christians so they also pour the Word into them. 

Now this all sounds nice but remember they are street kids. Everyday our students are cussed out, told they are going to be killed, punched on and rejected. Hard stuff to deal with everyday but our students hold on to those few days that a hug is returned, questions are asked, and "I love you's" are spoken.  We have seen the kids who couldn't express affection learn to love, those who couldn't trust learn to trust.

Our students on days off hang out with the kids on the beach, walk them for icecream, and most importantly acknowledge thier presence in the middle of town when others turn up their head and walk away. Joshua Project ended for the Christmas break and will open back up in Jan. Two of our girls cried for two days when in closed for the month. God is stirring hearts both in our students and in the kids we minister to. We are loving it.

     Chris and Christina are our base leaders. They are in their second year of marriage. Their first year was spent here in Jeffrey's Bay living with 12 college students-amazing and selfless. Christina has been leading AIM trips for about 7 years. She has become a woman I respect dearly.  She knows how to connect with the students and pour into them. I have learned so much from her. Chris has been a pastor and youth pastor the past few years. Beacause of Chris' gifts in speaking he's made some great connections here in J-Bay and been able to speak at many different functions.  They both bring an anormous amount of fun energy to our team.

      God had big plans when He put these two together. Chris has a heart to reach the rich and Christina has a heart to reach the poor for Christ. So many times we have heard "the rich" ask us do we really have so much need in J-Bay that 20 Americans need to come?  As they say this we look over at the townships with no running water, no electricity, aids running wild and no hope.  It's a beautiful thing to see how God has used Chris and Christina to bring the two together. They have formed new relationships between the two social classes, built playgrounds and most importantl have pointed many to the cross.  We are more than thankful to be directed by them in our first year on the mission field.

It has been a while since I have written about what is going on in this old heart of mine. To be completely honest there hasn't been a lot. We have settled in here and it has become home quicker than I can describe. I am not shocked by the poverty anymore, and I know all of the names of the street kids who ask you for money every time you walk past them. The beach is still beautiful, and I still eat Indian food while sitting in the sand at least twice a week.

I feel like Dorothy when she realizes that the tornado has past, the witch is dead, lions and scarecrows can talk, and men can indeed be made of tin. Oz isn't so strange anymore, and there is a mission and a yellow path to take us there. The only thing I still struggle with is the military time, so after noon I have no idea what time it is.

It's back to being ordinary, and I have mixed feelings about it. The ordinary can be boring, but it is in the ordinary that true relationships are built and most everything else happens too.

God is teaching me a lot about simplicity. It seems like every time I open God's word the Holy Spirit is screaming "look how simple it is supposed to be!" Jesus just walked around. He taught, he ministered to individuals, he fed the mobs, he discipled the twelve, he played with some kids, he walked 20 miles out of the way to offer an adulterous woman living water, he turned over tables and asked us to turn the other cheek.

I sense some people getting nervous, so I will change the subject. God is seriously doing amazing things here. We have seen miracles and had baptisms in the ocean. There is something stirring in the water here and I am anxious to see what comes up.

Peace and Love,

Tag

For the next few months we will introduce you to our team. God has assembled an amazing group of people around us here in Africa. They have become Family over the past few months and we cannot imagine being here without them.

This is Heather; she is one of the most caring people we have ever met. She is our co-leader this year and a very good roommate. She is very compassionate to our students and has a huge heart for inner healing. She is also one of the wittiest girls I have ever met.

We met Heather on our "Vision Trip" this February. She was interested in going to Swaziland and working with a charity called Children Hope Chest. On the trip she really felt God was calling her to Jeffrey's Bay. She made the decision to join us here in September and we are blessed that she did.

Heather has been with AIM off and on for a few years and has chosen to work full time now. She is dating an awesome man named Chad who is also on staff with AIM in England.

Heather is just amazing and we are excited that God has placed her on our team.

www.heatherbeard.myadventures.org

       I knew I was missing something, it just wasn't fitting together. Jeffreys Bay was where I was supposed to be, I knew this, but it didn't feel right. I was working hard at getting things ready for our team and trying to make this home but yet I didn't feel God in this place. I kept trying to meet Him and I just wasn't arriving on time. Among all the chaos here I found God this morning. He met me at church. He knew what I needed; I'm just sorry He once again had to wake me up instead of me running to His arms. I forgot to thank God for bringing me to this place. We walked hand in hand up to the airport and then I let His hand go and just said thanks for getting me thus far but I've got it from here. What was I thinking?  So I sat at His feet this morning praising and thanking Him for bringing me here and asked Him to join me for the rest of the journey (my life). 

    It's interesting why it takes so long sometimes to wake up and realize our need for our Father.  I do love the glorious times I get to understand my own sinful nature and run back to Him.  What an awesome friendship we get to encounter with our Creator.  Thank you, Lord for the journey and provision that you give us. Thank you, Lord for your friendship and understanding when we leave you behind.

This is a rather long post. I apologize if it is a bit preachy.

I was laying in the grass on my lawn this afternoon reading through Acts, and I was wondering if there was a chance we could live in that love and power again. The early church did not have time to pursue wealth or become enamored with politics. They loved each other and their neighbors. Could it be that simple again? Could God break our hardened hearts, and set us free from the religion we have made?

George Bernard Shaw once said that, "God created us in his image, and then we returned the favor." 

"Love me, and Love your neighbor." I feel like God tried to put it on our level, simple, with out any big words, and we turned it into 3 year study on what the word "neighbor" means. I want it to be simple again. I want to love like Christ did, and I want to surround myself with those who want the same.

Below is a portion from, the irresistible revolution by Shane Claiborne. His ministry, The Simple Way, is a partner with AIM in downtown Philadelphia. It is a description of what goes on in his ministry on the average day. I think it is beautiful.

"We had no idea what we were getting into. We had no big vision for programs or community development. We wanted only to be passionate lovers of God and people and to take the gospel way of life seriously.

Some of us dropped out of school; some finished. Some of us are pursuing careers; others left them. People sometimes ask us what we do all day on an "average day" at the Simple Way, and my answer has always been really short- either "nothing spectacular" or "what is an average day?" It gets a little crazy since our lives are full of surprises and interruptions. I'll do my best to describe it to you.

We hang out with kids and help them with homework in our living room, and jump in open fire hydrants on hot summer days. We share food with folds who need it, and eat the beans and rice our neighbor Ms. Sunshine makes for us. Folks drop in all day to say hi, have a safe place to cry, or get some water or a blanket. Sometimes we turn people away, or play rock, paper, and scissors to see who answers the door on tired days. We run a community store out of our house. We call it the gathering and neighbors can come in and fill a grocery bag with clothes for a dollar or find a couch, a bed, or a refrigerator. Sometimes people donate beautiful things for us to share with our neighbors; other times they donate their used toothbrushes.

We reclaim abandoned lots and make gardens amid the concrete wreckage around us. We plant flowers inside old TV screens and computer monitors on our roof. We see our friends waste away from drug addiction, and on good day, someone is set free. We see police scare people, and on a good day, we find an officer who will play wiffleball with his billy club. We rehab abandoned houses. We try to make ugly things beautiful and to make murals. Instead of violence, we learn imagination and sharing. We share life with our neighbors and try to take care of each other. We hang out on the streets. We get fined for distributing food. We go to jail for sleeping under the stars. We win in court. We have friends in prison and on death row. We stand in the way of state-sanctioned execution and of the prison industrial complex.

We have always called ourselves a tax-exempt 501c3 antiprofit organization. We wrestle to free ourselves from macro-charity and distant acts of charity that serve to legitimize apathetic lifestyles of good intentions but rob us of the gift of community. We visit rich people and have them visit us. We preach, prophesy, and dream together about how to awaken the church from her violent slumber. Sometimes we speak to change the world; other times we speak to keep the world from changing us. We are about ending poverty, not simply managing it. We give people fish and teach them to fish.

We fight terrorism- the terrorism within each of us, the terrorism of corporate greed, of American consumerism, of war. We are not pacifist hippies but passionate lovers who abhor passivity and violence. We spend our lives actively resisting everything that destroys life, whether that is terrorism or the war on terrorism. We try to make the world safe, knowing that the world will never be safe as long as millions live in poverty so the few can live as they wish. We believe in another way of life - the kingdom of God - which stands in opposition to the principalities, powers, and rulers of this dark world.

That is an average day".