BGC - South Africa

Woohoo!

I've been officially accepted on to the team for the South Africa trip this summer. I got my acceptance letter and all the official stuff yesterday.

BGC

The organization I am going with is called Building A Global Community. They focus their time and energy into helping people around the world who have been severely burdened by poverty, sickness, and lack of education. This primarily happens by providing service to villages and individuals, such as planting gardens and other self sustaining projects, and raising awareness of diseases such as AIDS.

The Skinny

The team of 12 (including myself) will leave for South Africa on July 14th. We will be serving a township called Ga Rankuwa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ga-Rankuwa,_North_West). Most of the work will be in an AIDS village called Bothsabelo. BGC strives to work within the existing values of the community to foster the concepts mentioned above. We are scheduled to return July 30th.

My Own Words

This trip poses to be a major event in my life. I've dreamed of Africa for literally half my life. I was 15 years old when I first heard God call me to that distant land. It's been a long and odd road since then, but I'm finally here. I know going on this trip will change me forever. And I'm sure at this point my expectations are nothing compared to what will happen there.

I've been on missions trips before. Trips I took in high school, and a few recently with the youth group here at my church. Trips that were focused on Evangelism and proclaiming the gospel. And those were powerful and amazing trips.

This trip to Africa will not be like those trips. It is not a "missions" trip. That does not mean that God cannot, or will not work through and in those of us going. We are going to meet immediate physical needs that will help the people in these villages and communities take care of themselves.

We're going to take care of the widows and orphans.

Which is something the Bible tells us to do. Something Jesus told us to do;
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in..." - Matthew 25:35


This is going to be an amazing and tiring trip. I get to take a nice video camera with me, and a good digital camera. So the trip will be well documented, and I'm sure I'll be editing promos, a feature video for team members, and other things for weeks and months to come after we get back.

But for me, this trip isn't only about this trip. I know this is just the beginning of my time in Africa. This trip, is arriving soon. Five months from today I will be about half way through this trip. But I have a long road ahead of me.

My Need

I'll be sending out letters, starting this week, and trying to come up with any other ideas I can to raise money. I know I will not raise it all on my own. I know that God will provide what I cannot.

The trip is $3,800. I have already made a dent in that with my $300 deposit. So I've got $3,500 to go. That is nearly 2 months wages for me, and half a month of work missed to go. This money provides travel costs to and from South Africa, and travel once there. It will also purchase some of the supplies for our projects.

We will be doing a few "group" fundraisers, but I also need the support of friends and family. Any donations made will be tax deductible. All funds will be directly impacting the life of someone in Bothsabelo and Ga Rankuwa. It will most definitely be impacting mine as well. If you would like to donate, or have ideas for fund raisers, please email me at: odincreed@hotmail.com or right here on FaceBook.

Prayers

I know times are tight with money. So I know that many of you won't be able to make any financial donations. So now I as for something more valuable than money, and that is prayer. There is nothing like knowing that there are many other Christians lifting you up in prayer.

Specific things to Pray for:

1) Jen Flemming and Angela DeCrane: these girls are the founders of BGC, and our Trip Leaders. Pray for them as they travel and speak, for safety and blessing. Pray that they accomplish all that is before them and that they are refreshed and ready to lead the team.

2) Fundraising: For myself, and all the team members.

3) Protection for the travel to and from South Africa. And our day to day travel. Each day will be at least a 2 hour round trip.

4) Documents – Political/Legal things: please pray that everyone, and all the supplies that we are taking be protected. That all our paperwork and things of that nature be complete and readily accepted.

5) Attitudes and Hearts: Not everyone going on the trip, will be Christian. Please pray that myself, and the other believers will be able to share the love of Jesus with them, and that he would bring them to salvation.

6) The people of Ga Rankua and Bothsabelo: please pray for their protection, and that during our time there we could share the love of Jesus with them. To let it be seen in the work we do each day, and in the laughter and tears that will be shared. That God would prepare their hearts now, for what is to come.

7) Changed Lives: for me, the rest of the team, and the people of South Africa

You

I want to thank you now, for any still reading this long post. As I said, I know times are tough and money is tight. If you can, thank you! Every dollar helps. If not, I thank you for you prayer support.

I will be giving full updates as things progress up to July 14th. Then I'll tell you all about the trip when I get home.

Thank you so much for reading this. I'll be posting Video Journals weekly up until we leave! Check back to hear the latest!

For more info feel free to email me: odincreed@hotmail.com

Or check out BGC's website: www.buildingaglobalcommunity.com

Thanks again...so very much,

Jesse