March 12, 2008

Goodbye Winter, Goodbye Chicago


Winter Road Trip
2
,200 miles… it was 2 weeks on the road that brought quite a range of experiences down in the South. From a low country boil in Georgia to grits and gravy in North Carolina we loved it all! We finally got to meet Will Brown (far right) for the first time, whom is going to SA with us this year. We got to see old friends, spend good time with our interns for next year and met their families and church families! We got to share with churches, pastors, missions’ coordinators, individuals, and even got the chance to speak to a couple of 7th grade social studies classes in Georgia about South Africa! God opened doors in amazing ways.
To read Annie's thoughts on our winter road trip experience click here.

One last shout out to all our hosts along the way; Bac & Hailey, Greg & Nicol, Sean & Kristie, Nate, Bec, Pip & Champ!

[I HEART AFRICA]

Our Valentine’s Party Fundraiser was a blast. The evening was filled with amazing live music, a silent auction, a real live date package auction and a photo gallery depicting life in Africa. Our good friends braved the cold and supported the event in their typical style. Thanks to everyone for making the night such a success! A special thanks to Nicole Red for all her hard work.
Check out pics of the night in our photo gallery collections right here!


As many of you know, AR has steadily been working on plans to build Church Orphan Homes throughout communities in Africa. The orphan home plans are completed and we thought it time we give you a glimpse of the model. God has been opening up doors with folks willing to come on board with this unique orphan care model.

While in Africa, we will be working with Pastor Vincent and others to make considerable steps towards building our first Church / Orphan Home / Skills Development Center. Our goal is to have it up and running by the World Cup 2010 hosted in South Africa.
We need churches here in the US to partner with us in making this vision a reality; if you know of any churches who may be interested in finding out more regarding AR and innovative Orphan Care, please contact us! See video below of Pastor Vincent showing us the potential land for the Powerhouse Church in Mamelodi, South Africa where, Lord willing, the first Church Orphan Home will be built.

On a personal note…
Farewell Chicago! Annie and I leave Chicago at the end of May for Michigan where we will spend a month with family preparing to leave for Africa at the beginning of July! It's exciting but terribly sad to be leaving behind our friends and family...if only they could all come with us! It seems that in our personal lives God has been challenging us to “count the cost.” In a time when so many choose part-time followership and easy discipleship we too easily forget that “when Christ bids a man, He bids him ‘come and die’” –Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
We have been on a Keith Green kick recently. We both consumed NO COMPROMISE and have his music collection playing 24/7! It’s been refreshing to have that kind of passion and commitment to Christ and His cause constantly washing over us. We are challenged by Keith's crystal clear convictions and passionate obedience. We highly recommend reading his story and listening to his tunes. And it’s on this note we end this entry, with some of his challenging lyrics.

Last Words
"Make my life a prayer to you, I want to do what you want me to--
No empty words and no white lies, No token prayers, no compromise,…”
– Keith & Melody Green (full song lyrics here)

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