God Answered Your Prayers!

Happy Thanksgiving!
With gratitude, I say thanks for praying for our meetings with our South African team. God has been answering your prayers.

Not only have Dr. Mamisa and I been bonding together but with the other members of our team as well. We have had many great talks about our hope being in Jesus alone and how grateful we are that He paid the ultimate price for us. As we shared God's goodness in our lives, we were all reminded that it is Christ who gives us the stamina needed for difficult situations.

I met with Sizwe (documentarian) on the Thursday and we did an informal interview with Mamisa and began planning our shooting schedule. Thursday was also World Aids Day celebration throughout South Africa. We started the day by shooting video and pictures at Emmanuel Haven of the ceremony to mark the official opening of the new radio station broadcast from the Haven. One of Dr. Mamisa's many dreams come true. Now the believers at Emmanuel Haven will have the chance to broadcast all across PE the Gospel in Xhosa!

After extensive research in a local library about AIDS in SA, we headed to an AIDS DAY event where Sizwe was scheduled to shoot footage. Being mistaken for an official event photographer, I was allowed access anywhere I wanted to go and ended up getting great still shots of people getting AIDS testing and of traditionally dressed African dancers!

We were all so busy, Sizwe and I with filming and shooting and Maria and her daughters at various medical posts, we didn't break for lunch until well after 4:30pm.

One prayer request, Sizwe's professional video camera broke down last week and was sent off to Dubai for parts. We met with the director of Cannon South Africa and we think he has agreed to allow us use of their professional equipment as we start shooting the documentary next week.

So please do keep this in your prayers.

Thanks and God bless,
Jody

Meeting "Gartners" & Scaring Local Men

I met with several individuals at Emmanuel Haven today. That helped to give me an overview for once we begin shooting footage.

I spent time at their farm sorting tomatoes with the kindergartners. Ninety percent of them are infected with AIDS. Afterward, I stayed awhile with patients at the HIV/AIDS clinic.

Zuko, CEO of Emmanuel Haven, gave us a tour of Port Elizabeth. There are two sides to PE, one being the affluent side and the other in extreme poverty, which is called Motherwell. Over 1/3 of residents in the latter are HIV positive. Families live in shacks in slum conditions.

I will be traveling with home care givers into the slums next week to get footage of them as they care for their patients.

We also heard a lot about the Xhosa practise of male circumcision, which, by law must be performed in sanitary conditions. We met a doctor who performs them and he showed us the instruments used, which were basically sanitized razor blades (ouch)!

Next we drove into the bush where we saw a bunch of tents. Zuko informed us that's where the boys stay during their circumcision initiation into manhood. We saw several with their traditional tribal clothing and painted faces!

We took a picture but when they saw us women, they ran away screaming. Apparently, they are not supposed to see women during their special week.

That's all for now!

Jody

Personal Note from Jody

We've already shared three meals with Dr. Mamisa & her family, lead doctor at Emmanuel Haven. Today was a lot of resting and it was just good to spend normal sit around time with them. Her youngest, of ten children, took us on a walk around the neighborhood and shared stories with us, very fun!!

Tomorrow, Mamisa's oldest son, who's in charge of Emmanuel Haven, will pick us up and give us a personal tour of Emmanuel Haven. This will give me much needed background for my meeting with Siszwai, the South African film producer, the following day on Thursday. Please do keep our first meeting in your prayers.

Dr. Mamisa is very excited about the video project and is offering a lot of support.
We are now at our guest house preparing to turn in for the night. I'm just very thankful for 24 hours of good rest.

Thanks to all of you who are pulling for us in prayer,
Jody

Jody's First Day in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Hello dear prayer warriors!

Thank you for taking this step of faith in this new prayer adventure to pray for for Jody and the team every day for the next 18 days.

So far, she has been in the air 6 hours. Only 10 more hours to go! She flies directly into J-berg from Atlanta. She seemed pretty upbeat and excited when they left.

For those of you waking up to pray for her over the next few hours, please beleive God with us for the following:

1. Praise God, all her video equipment made it through U.S. customs.

2. Praise God that she got to fly with the entire team, Maria (a nurse), and her two daughters, Becca (part of the prayer team in S.Africa), and Sara (volunteering in the AIDS ward with her mom)

3. Please pray they will get through S. African customs without a glidge.

4. Please pray all their luggage make the long journey with them.

5. Pray they arrive saftely at their guest house in Port Elizabeth (Around 7p, Easter Standard Time, which will be 2a Tuesday in Port Elizabeth. They will have been up for over 30 hours!)

6. Pray that despite the jet lag, God gives them deep restorative sleep.

Now the African adventure begins! When they wake up Tuesday morning they have scheduled a day of rest. Praise God for that!...

1. Pray the team will bond

2. Pray they will give God the glory and praise and have a time of prayer together

3. Praise God period. (Don't forget that while you pray during this hour to praise your Savior a LOT!!)

I've already been awake (from 2a-3a) praying for each one of you, that you will experience a richer, more deeper intimate prayer life with our Dear Heavenly Father!

In Christ's Love,

Christy

T-Minus 5 days!

T-minus 5 days until Jody leaves for the Cape of South Africa! Between preparations (packing, phoning team members etc.) for the 18 day film project and balancing the on-going development of our non-profit, Streams of Mercy, the days until departure are flying by! Coordinating the joint South African and American film team via email has been challenging and Jody looks forward to meeting everyone face to face.

It has been exciting to see how God is bringing unity among the American team and we pray for for the same with our South African brothers and sisters!

While Jody is in charge of the film crew, the American team also consists of a medical crew with Maria Caperna, a nurse, and her daughter Sara, a current bio-medical major at Wright State University. There is a prayer team with Becca, also a daughter of Maria's who is eager to connect with her South African team.

Joe Caperna, brother of Maria, will also be volunteering in the State Clinic in Port Elizabeth, SA, and assisting as a Medical Doctor. He is heading up the entire project and brings many years of experience working with HIV/AIDS patients both in South Africa and in the U.S.

Dr. Mamisa is the director and doctor of Emmanuel Haven HIV/AIDS clinic, farm, and orphanage and the American team is anticipating with great joy the opportunity to serve with her and the other medical staff and volunteers of PE, SA.

We are asking folks to sign up for a 24 hour prayer chain that will begin this Sunday, November 21st and will go through December 8th.

Daily prayer updates will be posted to this blog, so keep checking in with us!

Thanks so much and God bless you!

Christy

"And the Lord, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed." Duet 31:8

As we prepare for our move to Kenya next year, we are daily reminded that God goes before us and prepares the way for our work among widows and orphans.

In answer to our prayers that God would provide someone to show us how to set-up a ministry in Africa, God brought a dear friend and mentor into our lives, Dr. Mamisa of Port Elizabeth (PE), S.A. After our visit with her here in Ohio, God opened the door for Jody to learn all about Dr. Mamisa's HIV/AIDS clinic, orphanage, and hydroponics farm by traveling to PE this November 21-December 8th.

Jody has been asked to head up a film team to document the story of how God built up from the ashes of Aparteid and suffering a clinic and farm which now benefit the entire community which it serves. We are excited as this is exactly what we are hoping to accomplish in Kenya with Streams of Mercy!

Please pray that Jody and the team will be able to connect with the right people and that she learns all she can!

We are continually reminded to place our trust in our Almighty God who promises to prepare the way, to never leave us, and to fear no one but Him!

Thank you for all your prayers and support of this ministry!

We appreciate you more than words can say.

Christy