Thanks to You, Watchmen of the Gates!

Dear friends and prayer warriors,

In your faithful prayers, You have been the Watchmen of the Gates! As it says in Psalms 134:1
"Oh, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who serve as night watchmen in the house of the Lord." With your prayers, you formed a wall of protection around me and my fellow workers in Africa.

Everyday some new and formidable challenge would present itself. Everyday, we saw the Lord provide in miraculous ways!

After 4 days in S. Africa I still had no way to video document the human story of Emmanuel Haven. We found out from our first contact Sizwe that his video camera was broken and wouldn't be repaired for three weeks. Meanwhile, my team and I were following the nurses and other workers at Emmanuel Haven and hearing incredible stories of how God was giving new hope to HIV victims. I thought to myself,"How is it possible to create this documentary without the proper equipment?" A team member shared that she was feeling discouraged about the project, etc.

It was at that moment, I heard the Holy Spirit speak to me,"Pray Jody seek my face...I am the provider!" I went into my room at our guest house and knelt by my bed and prayed. I asked the Lord to provide for his project, so that the story of Emmanuel Haven would get out and that God would be praised in the telling.

As, I finished praying I walked out of the room to hear the news from my excited teammate. Alain, director of Canon S. Africa had called to say a videographer named Chris would be available to film and would meet us at the Haven the next morning. Wow, what an answer to prayer!

Chris Allen ended up being a total "God send"(quite literally as it seems). God really knew the right man for the job. He was a total team player and asset to the project. We were able to get all the footage and interviews completed in two days.

Later, as I was looking at the prayer chart times I realized that a fellow prayer warrior was praying at the same moment I had been asking for the Lord to interceed on our behalf. So, it was at our neediest moments you were partnered in prayer with us on the other side of the world!

Thanks to You, You Watchmen of the Gates

Jody :)

Last Day of Shooting

Jody and Sizwe (videographer) have there last shoot kesho (tomorrow). Jody has asked for prayer that she will be alert and ready to go at 6:30am.

The film team wants to get footage of the sun coming up over the Emmanuel Haven Farm which has employed many people who lost jobs because of the stigma involved in having HIV/AIDS.

Truly the Haven is the story of God's incredible grace and mercy to the helpless! He does care for the widowed and orphaned. He does care for those who have suffered injustice. He has heard their cries and He has come to their rescue.

Jody is very grateful to all of you who have been faithfully praying! She can hardly wait to return and share all the amazing stories she captured on film! The stories of tragedy which Christ turned to hope in Him!

Jody wants to especially thank those who sent her emails and Bible verses. She said they really encouraged her.

Tuesday begins the long journey back to Ohio.
Thanks for your continued prayers!
Christy

Jody and the Lion

In the midst of a myriad of interviews with children, meetings with school principals for permission to film, and long hours of editing, Jody and the team managed to get away for a Safari. There Jody met a white lion who fortunately, was behind a chain link fence. Still little comfort around such a beast!

As Jody has shared this week some of the heart breaking stories of children suffering from violence, injustice, and AIDS, I'm reminded again of God's promise to them.

"The Lord replies, 'I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.' The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over.'" Psalm 12:5-6

Let's continue to lift up our voices to the God who hears the oppressed and keeps His promises to them. It's His time to rescue them and He is using our prayers for His Kingdom work!

Christy

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