Two weeks to go!

I can't believe that it is almost time for us to leave! It is only two weeks away from tomorrow. Wow how time flies by. It still doesn't feel like it is actually here. A big thanks to everyone again for all of your support, both financially and through prayers. I really appreciate it and it has meant a lot. Through the garage sale and other checks I've received, I have managed to raise over half of my support which is amazing. I've also requested a $500 check from a program that we have through work that supports these sort of activities. Hopefully that money will come through as well.

Keep us all in your prayers these upcoming weeks as we do the final preparations and begin the journey over to the other side of the world. What an eye opening experience it will be!

Unemployment in Cape Town

I found this interesting article today regarding unemployment levels in South Africa. Currently the level is around 30%! Even more surprising is that for young teens and those in their twenties, the level goes up to 60%. That makes the unemployment rates in the United States seem like nothing.

The article attributes most of this unemployment to the lack of education in the society. In 2005, it was estimated that approximately 66% of all South African adults did not have a high school diploma. Stats also show that for those over 25 years old, an estimated 24% of them are illiterate.

The organization that we will be working with provides education programs for children in Cape Town. These efforts are helping to combat the problem of illiteracy. While there are still great strides to be made, the small efforts do help and will make a difference in the years to come.

Here is the link to the article: http://www.portalangop.co.ao/motix/en_us/noticias/internacional/Young-Educated-And-Unemployed,26cfde20-64d2-4819-99ec-9e465e83871e.html

Garage Sale Success!

Thanks so much to everyone who graciously donated their time and goods to the garage sale this past weekend. We raised $900! This helps so much in offsetting the costs of this trip. I really appreciate everyone's hard work. We were able to sell almost everything and only made a few trips to Goodwill afterwards. The rain managed to stay away even though we did have a few showers on Friday night when we were setting things up. With the garage sale funds and the support that I have received from friends and family already, I have raised a little over half of the cost of the trip! What a blessing this is!

Again, thank you to everyone for your help and support. We are only a month away from the big trip!! :)

Some quick facts...

AIDS is taking Africa by storm. The statistics are quite startling. Here are some quick stats:

• South Africa has the highest number of HIV positive people than any other country in the world.


• The average life expectancy for someone living in Africa is 62 years old. For someone who has been who has been diagnosed with AIDS, the life expectancy is only 47 years.


• In 2007, there were 3.2 million new people diagnosed with AIDS in Africa.


• In 2007, 2.4 million people died due to AIDS.


• Approximately 5.7 million people in South Africa have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. This is over 20% of the population in South Africa.

This is a huge crisis in Africa and it is time for us to start acting upon it. If 20% of the US population were infected with a deadly disease that has no cure, it would be front page news every day. The recent outbreak of swine flu caused only a few hundred deaths around the world but captured our attention for nearly a month straight. A disease that is killing nearly 2.5 million people a year barely catches any attention since it is not happening on our soil. Many organizations are now starting to get involved in the crisis however there is still a lot of work to be done with educating the populations most impacted by the disease. Part of our efforts in Cape Town will be to spread the word about free testing facilities and educating the public regarding how the disease is contracted. Hopefully through our work we will be able to raise awareness both over in Africa and here in our own neighborhoods.

Only 8 weeks away!

We had another team meeting this past Sunday. It was great to get together again as a group and talk about what we will be doing in only 8 weeks from now. We have started to finalize our itinerary for the two weeks and assigned tasks to the various members of our team. During our time down there, we will be leading a Vacation Bible School program for a week. The program will be in the afternoons for the children who live in the Overcome Heights area. During the day, we will be active in the Overcome Heights community, going out and encouraging people to come to the activities put on by Living Hope. One of the last days that we will be in Cape Town will be spent at the health care center. The center serves the HIV/AIDS population and provides critical treatments for those fighting the disease. We will also be spending a day at Living Grace, a branch of Living Hope that provides job training skills and education to those in Overcome Heights.

We also have a day at the beginning and end of our trip set aside to see the area and do a few tourist activities. These days will be much needed down time as the rest of our trip is going to be packed full. However, all of us recognize that our purpose for the trip is not to see the sites in the area. We are here to accomplish an important purpose and to assist an amazing organization is spreading God's love. I'm confident that our efforts will not go unnoticed in the community and even if we make a difference in one person's life, it will definitely be worth the trip.

Thanks again for all your prayers and continued support! It means a lot!

Crazy Monkeys

Bad news. There was just a report from Cape Town that two tourists were robbed while on their honeymoon. Definitely not fun for anyone. However, the culprit was a monkey! Apparently South Africa has a slight problem with baboons. They are as common down there as what squirrels are around here. People who visit the beaches down there are advised not to leave any garbage or belongings around because the baboons may snatch them up. Unfortunately for this couple, they were victims of the baboon problem. I'm sure I'll see plenty of them roaming the streets while I'm down there. Hopefully they don't steal any of my belongings!

http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=999622

We booked our flights!

This past Sunday we had another team meeting. We found out a few bits of good news. One is that we have finally booked our flights. We are flying out in the evening of July 29th and will arrive in Cape Town on the morning of July 31st. We have a brief layover in London but thankfully that is our only stop. On our way back our layover is about 8 hours in London but none of us mind. :) We are going to try to get out of the airport and see some sites if time allows. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Probably the most exciting piece of news is that we found out the price of our trip decreased by $500! We originally budgeted for $3,400 a person. However, due to the reduced cost of our flight and our lodging, we were able to bring down the cost. Also, Overlake generously gave each of us $300 for the trip to show their support for what we are doing. What a great surprise!

Our team leader Aaron also announced on Sunday that our pastor, Mike Howerton, will be joining us for a few days when we are in Cape Town. His wife is active with another organization over in Durban, South Africa and he is taking the trip to go check out that ministry as well as the partnership that we are establishing with Living Hope.

Things are slowly starting to fall into place for this trip. Please continue your prayers for all of us as we are preparing for this adventure. We are excited to see what God has in store and the ways that He will work while we are over there!