Travel with us as bump along on a dusty gravel road out to the rural townships of South Africa. See the multitude of children streaming down the roads towards their school among the goats and cows. Watch the lines of children all wearing the colors of their school uniform in various conditions. 
See the ones with beautiful weaves and others with their head shorn close and sores upon their bodies. See their smiling faces and hear the laughter when we introduce ourselves in a humorous manner. Look into their eyes edged with pain as we talk about our lives and how they relate it to theirs. Listen to their questions as they come up to us after a presentation asking for answers to some of life’s tough questions. See the look of gratitude when we give them God’s word, an encouraging word and our prayers. Travel back down those bumpy roads to the next school and the next and the next. Chug on some water in the hot sun, wipe the sweat from your brow, pray for the children you’ve touched that day and know that God’s word does not return void.
We as Book of Hope Missionaries travel the road to hope every day. God’s Word, Every Child is a reality. I wish I could take you with me. It is quite the sight to behold. I love it when the children get it. When a young girl can relate to our stories and can find hope in our message. When a young person finds the courage to make a change in their life, to stand up to what they know is right and make the difficult choices. When a rowdy crowd of teenagers silence their shouts and strain to listen to our words. I love it when a team member completely surrenders themselves to the Lord and the words that come out of their mouths speak more than they ever would on their own. We are tired at the end of the day, but it the happy kind of tired, one of thanks to God for the privilege of carrying his word to the nations.
Pray for us as we travel around Namibia the next several weeks. We will be working on a research project that will help serve several ministries in the future. This survey will help target the real needs of that country.
Don't forget to visit our team site @ http://www.nomadsouthafrica08.blogspot.com/
One of my favorite parts of this experience has been speaking with the learners (the South African term for students) one-on-one or in small groups. We started our ministry on the West Coast in the town of Vredenburg (A fishing town on the Atlantic side). Among our regular schools we were able to visit and then follow-up at a boarding school for troubled kids. We got to listen to, speak the word over and pray with several of the young girls and boys. The first night only four of us went to meet with the boys. We thought we were going to just video tape a few testimonies, what followed was a God-sized encounter. The next thing we knew the four of us were speaking to a group of 150 boys. The things that were coming out of our mouths amazed even us. 120 of those boys made commitments to change their lives. The next night we all went to minister to the girls. After 80 of the 90 or so girls prayed the sinner’s prayer with us, we had a time of one-on-one prayer. We prayed for at least a dozen girls each. Their stories were devastating, but it was a blessing to leave them with the one thing that could help them….Jesus. We returned again just to hang out with the girls and love them and pray with them some more. Soon some 
of the regular schools were inviting us back to talk to the students in small groups. We were able to speak specifically to their questions about life and the God we serve. It was great to encourage them.
We then drove back to the East-side of the country to a town called Phalaborwa. It is on the outskirts of Kruger National Park (Mozambique is on the other side of the park and the Indian Ocean). We have seen a lot of wild animals…hippos, crocs, warthogs, monkeys and elephants from a distance. But the most precious thing in this area is its children. We got to spend some extended time in one such school, where an unfortunate but common harassment incident 
happened, speaking with the seventh graders in small groups. We spoke about our presentation, the Book of Hope, issues they face, their lives, and of course they are always interested in our travels, America, and how many famous people we have met.
Pray for these children, they are the future of South Africa and this world.
More photos can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/kimart4ch
See the ones with beautiful weaves and others with their head shorn close and sores upon their bodies. See their smiling faces and hear the laughter when we introduce ourselves in a humorous manner. Look into their eyes edged with pain as we talk about our lives and how they relate it to theirs. Listen to their questions as they come up to us after a presentation asking for answers to some of life’s tough questions. See the look of gratitude when we give them God’s word, an encouraging word and our prayers. Travel back down those bumpy roads to the next school and the next and the next. Chug on some water in the hot sun, wipe the sweat from your brow, pray for the children you’ve touched that day and know that God’s word does not return void.
