Notes from South Africa

Wow, what an amazing time we had in South Africa! It was truly a blessing to us all in Sfd. Everyone we encountered has become special to us and will never be forgotten. When we landed in Jo-burg we had a chance to acclimate with the help of Frank and James from Sarepta Music (our SA record label family) and get our ‘heads on straight’, which for some of us is an all day event. Then we met up with Craig and K.J. from IMB (international missions board) to do some filming for the next up and coming video, which will be to the song This Generation. We then went to the Day OF Destiny conference where we met up with Peter (the visionary of the conference) and his beautiful family. By the time we got around to playing we were defiantly ready! The concert was rockin’ and it was truly a day of destiny for us as we saw God do some amazing things. During the show, CeCe (some of our wives got to go on the trip) met someone who knew of a man who was in the hospital in Durban who had just had surgery for Crohn’s disease. The meeting was truly a God thing cause we were in Jo-burg and Durban is a good 6 hours away…just so happens that our next stop was Durban and so we knew we had to make a hospital visit. When we got to Durban we were brought to an awesome B&B where Graham Smith and his wife Antoinette treated us like kings and queens. The Leopard Wood Manor is in the heart of Kloof and if you’re ever in the neighborhood and your looking for a soft bed and a most delicious breakfast, the Smith’s house is your best bet.
That night we played an acoustic set at Westville Baptist Church…thanks Pastor Skip! During the following week, we went with Roger and his wife, Meg (IMB Missionaries) to an informal settlement which is basically a place where 1000s of poor and needy people live in shelters made of corrugated metal and anything else they can find in order to have a roof over their heads. We made our way through the narrow roads to where our vehicles couldn’t go anymore and suddenly, a sea of curious children surrounded us. Walking in the makeshift village was a heart wrenching experience we will never forget. The team CeCe and Brooke were with visited an orphanage or a daycare. Whatever the case, there were children lying on the floor on nothing more than woven mats on dirt. Despite their living conditions the children seemed happy and joined us in singing ‘Jesus Loves Me’ and some other songs in Africans. Our hearts broke as we said our ‘good-byes’ especially CeCe cause she had made a special friend named Olly which was short for a really long name starting with an ‘O’.
Then Roger took us into the city of Durban to do some filming and lunch. He introduced us to some indigenous flavors and curries. One lunch item was called ‘bunny chow’ which was basically a loaf of bread with its middle carved out then filled with some spicy curry. I had my curry with rice with bones and it was plenty spicy hot. The next day we went on a safari at the Tala Game Reserve and saw all the animals. The day was filled with adventure to say the least and Chris even picked up a big huge piece of rhino-dung….gross!
Thursday we wound up in Pinetown to do the Vision Conferences. Playing the packed room at His Church was so fun. The final day we were there we participated in a study group on worship and being in a worship team. I pray that our words were of some use. Right after we got through with our class we had to high tail it to the airport so that we could ride a plane for 30 something hours.
Needless to say, we loved every minute and we so thankful for the opportunity to worship with our family in South Africa.
may God's Favor flood your lives and HIs joy fill you hearts, PEACE.
rick