Going home...

We are on board. Luggage tucked away below us. Memories and blessings tucked away in our hearts.

Thank you for your prayers, but, don't stop the praying!!! See you all very soon.

021012

Thanksgiving

If the only evidence of this USA holiday we would see this day would be the the turkey printed napkins at our breakfast table we would be wrong.

Regardless how many thankful events we've witnessed all week, the Lord continues to pour on the blessings.

Today's goal is to complete two more Gardens of Grace. These two for a center for children where they can find a meal, help with their schoolwork and other activities. This center is located in the Westbury neighborhood. For its too often crime activity this area was also called "The Wild West". The center is however an oasis of peaceful tranquility managed under Christian principles. The Director and his mother have served the community for over 50 years.

The areas used to be a gang run heavily violent community. About 5 years ago a group of people said "no more" and began to pray on Saturday mornings. Now former gang members and leaders are evangelists, pastors and social workers. As people began to faithfully pray, God moved and community transformation evolved.

Late morning the team took a "break" from the Garden at a local center that provides serviced to HIV/AIDS, cancer and other severely ill persons within its facility and in the neighborhood. Teams of two GCC members and locals spread out to the neighborhood to visit, bring food and more important prayer to the patient's homes. All the teams noted that although the visits and food were well appreciated, the most important gift they wanted and needed was prayer.

Dr. Mike visited some patients and used his God given talents to patients who have been rejected care.

But, the most incredible blessing was happening at the office of the Director of the center. For a while she had been feeling she had done enough, she felt spent and was ready to resign. Pastor Michelle prayed with her into the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Director was overwhelmed at receiving this gift from the Lord and her confidence was restored. Oh what a mighty joy.

Alli, Anne, Jacquie, Juan and Rebecca returned after lunch to this center and presented over 250 children with salvation bracelets and many salvations was the result of this.

On top of all this, all gardens were finished. Praise The Lord for he provides always and all ways.

Tomorrow we head home, please continue to pray for us.

To be continued...

021012

It's Wednesday

It seems that the more we try to bless others, the more God blesses our team.

Today we stood at Jubilee Church, the site of the first garden being raised today. Members of 3 churches were present to hold hands and hearts together to praise and pray. We prayed for strength and healing. Immediately, Jaquie, a member from chronic asthma. As we looked down from a high hill we prayed for strength to move tons of sand needed for the garden from the bottom of that hill and that we would complete a second garden.

Again, God granted us favor. With God's help our increasingly efficient team was able to finish the garden at an orphange in excellent time. It was definitely a hallelujah moment as we blessed this second garden hand in hand as Christian brothers and sisters.

Even with a heavy schedule God provided time for us to meet folks and bond in friendship. "Mama" Mavis runs the orphanage where we planted the 2nd garden. She is a 43 year old single mother of 5. She lives there with her 5 plus 39 other ages 4 - 20. She has always had a heart for children. Her vision for this home is being revealed in a modest but miraculous way. God is breathing life into her vision. Never a sick day in her life, she recently broke an ankle but the community has cooked, cleaned and cared for the orphanage,

A small part of our team broke off in the morning to go to the Piki Pup Dump to share in a church service with. Ginah, a local woman with an incrdible heart for those who live at the dump and surrounding squatter camps. About 125 men, women and children gathered in an open field to praise the Lord with dancing, songs and prayer. An incredible display of joy and thanksgiving. At the end of the service Ginah placed her bible in the center of the group. God's children who live in the dump came forward with small coins laying on the bible what little they have to the Lord. Read James 2:5.

Our team was this day blessed by a day of miracles, lessons in humility and conviction as we served our Lord by serving others.

To be continued...

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Ginah of Gilgal Ministries

She is a single mom and has a service at the dump every Wednesday and feeds them.

Tuesday in South Africa

Today the larger part of our team landed in jail, and that is a good thing.

We went to a women's prison. The original plan was to visit a jail in Pretoria with a ministry called "Babies Behind Bars" and to help paint a common room they use. This group works with women in prison who have babies up to a few years old.

When we arrived we were informed we would not be able to see the women, nor the babies. We were taken to a set of rooms dank with mold, mildew and peeling sickly pink paint. The paint we had was much to thin requiring several coats to hide the uglyness. This did not stop our vigor or mission to do our job.

After a while we got better paint and with the help of an artist, members of Covenant Word and others we covered those walls with a beautiful mural. But, more important we covered a wall with painted scriptures and verses. An inmate mother was brought in to see the rooms and tears welled in her eyes.
As we left, the rooms had been converted into a brighter place not just by paint but more so rooms to which light had been brought in by His word and His light will now reside there forever.

And more!!! Elliot and Dawit (a Covenant Word member) witnessed to gas attendants while we waited on lunch to be served. Seize every opportunity to spread the word.

The other part of our team went to an amazing place of love and healing called Sparrow and Rainbow village, a hospice for adults and children with HIV/AIDS and an orphanage. Over 200 children who have been orphaned by AIDS are cared for in cluster homes. You can feel the love abounding throughout.

Even though it broke our hearts to see little children and adults suffering from the effects of HIV/AIDS in the hospice care area, we counted it a great priviledge to pray for many. As we shared the gospel throught faith bracelets with adults and even the nurses two persons opened their hearts to Jesus and received Him as Savior.

As we departed we were reminded of the truth of Matthew 10:29 "His eye is on the sparrow".

To be continued...

20011914

Extending hands to the harvest.

The glory of God shone through today as we arrived at Thuto Ke Lebone Center for the disabled in Soweto and heard the good news of 3 harvests from the garden planted here last year. Today was an amazing productive time of building and planting gardens and realtionships. We constructed 2 additional greenhouses and planted 1,065 seedlings in 355 containers in each one.

These gardens will provide for the 50 mentally challenged adults that come to the center daily as well as feed over 100 children who have been orphaned by AIDS.

We worked side by side with members of Covenant Word Church and youth and staff from the center.

The experience was enhanced by acapella singing as the gentle joyous faces of "one team" of Africans and Americans worked toward a common goal.

To seal our labor of love everyone locked arms inside the garden and prayed a blessing over the seeds sown in the container as well as the seeds planted in people's hearts. The residents blessed the team with a Zulu serenade.

In the evening we kicked off a 3 day Leadership Conference at Covenant Word to emcourage, inspire and empower pastors and leaders at 3 partnering churches.

Tomorrow we send a team to minister at Babies Behind Bars and a 2nd team will minister at an AIDS hospice.

To be continued...

1012

The Sabbath

"Greetings my brothers and sisters, is the Lord good to you? The Lord is good to me!" This is how our South African brothers and sisters greet us each day. We awoke very early this sunny Sabbath to music and singing from another group staying at our camp. We had a quick breakfast then the team split up and headed in 4 different directions. Anne, Don and Elliot spoke at 3 partnering churches to encourage and undergird their congregations.

Pastor Michelle spoke at Covenant Word Church. A NC pottery communion chalice was presented to Pastor Glen and his wife Loretta. The inspiring message shared by Pastor Michelle to this body of believers was that God can breathe life into anything that looks dead.

Following this message Pastor Glen was led to pray and annoint members who had or were planning to start a business.

After services, the team was reunited for a restful afternoon including lunch and a visit to a local marketplace with Pastor Glen, Loretta and members of his staff.

Tomorrow we return to Soweto to plant another Garden of Grace.

To be continued.

Second night in South Africa

Second night in South Africa

Today we. Awoke to a crisp, partly sunny morning as we left early for Covenant World Church.
The first order of the day was grocery shopping at a local store for food we will distribute later this week. The store was bustling with activity as locals did their Saturday morning shopping. It was no small task to weave in and out with our 10 shopping carts snagging the items we needed to complete our lists.
Next it was back to the church for a special service we shared with our friends from Covenant World. It was a special time of heart felt testimony,communion and consecration of our hands as we prepared for the work ahead. Spiritual seeds were planted, energetic praise and worship and a skit the youth of the church prepared. Directly after service we shared a wonderful international meal prepared by our friends at Covenant World.
For the afternoon we went to set up our first garden tunnel and begin filling it with planting bags. The most amazing thing about today we were served and blessed by the ones we came to serve. God's love was so evident as they welcomed us to partner with them this week.
To be continued....

Youth night

Youth Night First Night in South Africa

We wanted to take a minute and give everyone an update about the wonderful youth night that took place. There was such an energy between the youth and our team. They were excited to see us just as much as we were excited to see them. 2 souls came to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. We were able to pray for a number of teens. We see already that God is moving in only the way He can.
We are finishing breakfast Saturday morning to be continued.....

Blog

Greetings from JoBurg South Africa. We have arrived safe and sound after challenging flight delays. Wondering, with joy, if we would make our connection in Atlanta due to the FAA computer problems. This was our first test of flexibilty, everyone passed the test.

We're hitting the ground running with a Youth Rally tonight. After traveling 21 hours and sleeping about an average of 4 or 5 hours one thing is for sure, we are all going to sleep real good tonight.

To be continued... Extending our hands to the Harvest in JoBurg.

The GCC Missions Team.

Flight times updated

Please note the team's flight times for their outbound flight have been changed below.

Trip Flight Information

Flight Information

Outbound Flight
November 19
Delta Flight 1207 - Leave Charlotte @ 5:37 PM. Arrive in Atlanta @ 6:56 PM.
Delta Flight 200 - Leave Atlanta at 7:25 PM. Arrive in Johannesburg on the 20th @ 5:37 PM.

Return flight
November 27

Delta Flight 201 - Leave Johannesburg @ 9:05 PM. Arrive in Atlanta on the 28th @ 6:45 AM.
Delta Flight 5968 - Leave Atlanta @ 8:45 AM. Arrive in Charlotte @ 9:59 AM on the 28th.