February 23, 2010

Time has really flown by. I want to start by apologizing for not keep my blog updated. When I signed I realized that my last post was in July! For that I am very sorry.

So, I'm not really sure where to begin. I concluded my year with 13th Floor on October 31st and returned to the United States on November 1st. This was one of the hardest years I have experienced yet, but it was one of the greatest years where God opened my eyes to His greatness and my constant need for more of Him in my life. When I returned to the States, I returned with the mindset and plan to return to South Africa. Quickly God began to stir something in my heart, I wasn't really sure what it was. Long story short, God moved on my heart and closed the door on my time in South Africa. It was a hard decision, but I know that I am where God wants me.

Since then, I have been looking for work while interning part-time at Stonecreek Church. The staff at Stonecreek have really made me feel welcome and have created an opportunity for me to learn and grow. My plan is to study youth ministry. God has grown a passion inside me for youth and for equipping youth to become strong, Godly leaders.

God makes all things beautiful in His timing. If we strive after Him first and foremost, He will come and fill us and make something beautiful out of our short time on earth. I want to thank each and every one of you for the prayers and support you have given to me these last two years. I could not have done it without you. You have not only touched my life, but you have equipped me to touch the lives of others. For that I am eternally grateful. I ask that you continue to keep me in your prayers. I would greatly appreciate it. May God Bless you as you have blessed me.

Thank You,

Andrew

P.s. I will do my best to update this blog more frequently.

Sorry I haven't written in a while. Internet access has been hard to come by the last few weeks.

God has been so good the past three weeks. We had our fundraising week recently where we needed to raise R22,222.22. We were able to raise over R28,000! God really showed us just how good He is during that week.

Since then we have started touring again. Last week we were in East London... This week we are in George... And next week we will be in Senekal. Please continue to pray for us as a lot of our team members are getting ill and have injuries.

Hello Everyone! Sorry its taken me a while to post up an update.

The last few weeks have been great! Last week we had our Gala Shows. This year we performed in the State Theatre... it was awesome. Even though the week was very busy, it was still a lot of fun!

This week we have what we call "Team Week". This is where both teams, Red and Blue, come back to campus for a week. We have teachings, team activities, sometimes we have outreaches, and so on. It has been great reuniting with the other team and catching up with friends.

Next week we have our annual "Fundraising Week". During this week, we split up into our ministry teams and we go for a week to raise money. Our goal for this week is to raise R22,222.22. So far, we have about R4,000 - R5,000, and we have sponsors lined up and plans to raise the rest. Please keep us in your prayers... this is usually a pretty stressful week.

Today is Saturday and its our last day in Danielskuil, and the end of this tour cycle. The last month has been incredible! We've seen God's hand move in ways we could not have imagined. While this first cycle was filled with late nights, [very] early mornings, and the usual frustrations tour can bring, we have really been blessed, as a team as well as individuals, in so many ways.

I would just like to say thank you so much for all the love and support you've given me this year. I would not have been able to do it without you. 

Tour has started! We are currently in our third week of tour... and so far it has been amazing. We've toured Danville, Randburg, and we are now in Ellisras. Because of the structure changes we've made in the last year, the layout of the week is always subject to change. So the week can be very hectic. With days starting at 4:00am and ending at 11:00pm, you tend to get pretty tired pretty fast. Thankfully, not every day starts at 4:00am. I will try to update you more as the weeks go on. Thanks again for your support.

We are busy packing our trucks, washing our quantums, and getting every last minute detail ready for tour... which starts tomorrow! We have been training for four months, and we have finally made it to tour. Our first week is in Wespoort, which is in the Pretoria area. I'm not sure if I will have internet access in every town, but if I can, I will try to give an update at the end of each week. Thank you again for your continued prayers and support.

So we have two weeks left before we begin touring! The next two weeks are known to us as "Skyn Week". "Skyn" is an afrikaans word that means "shine". We use this word to refer to our big dress rehearsals with full sound, full lights, all props, etc. It usually takes a whole day (anywhere from twelve to twenty hours) to "skyn" one of our shows. This week is when we do our final skyn for each show to make sure that we are ready for tour!