Last Leg of an Incredible Journey

We are at the gate in de Gaulle waiting to board for the last leg of our journey. Our tour of Paris was cold, but fun. We all think Paris is really neat (except Cameron - he needs to come back when it is warmer!), but our hearts are still in South Africa. This was my 7th Swamp Corps trip and you might be wondering if all the planning and traveling gets old. Witnessing God work powerfully never gets old and I am honored and grateful to be a part of each trip - my faith is encouraged every time. I also love the opportunity to better get to know each participant. There is no bond like the bond of sharing the gospel together. Finally, meeting brothers and sisters in other places reminds me of how special and precious God's kingdom is - something I have at times struggled to believe. 

Love, Jennifer

Bye Byes and Bonjours

Well, the trip of a lifetime is wrapping up and I'm overwhelmed with emotions from the last 24 hours or so. Last year, the American campers and counselors had to leave directly from church and we had the great priviledge of spending all of Sunday and most of Monday in Joburg. Service was incredible and quite emotional and really helped cap off our week of camp. I got to lead some songs which was really intimidating but we all just had a blast up there praising God with the same songs we had been singing most of the week at our impromptu singing devos throughout camp.  I cried multiple times during service because of how thankful I was for the week and because of the stories of some of the campers and the generosity I saw from the Joburg church and their faith and hope in the future of teens here at their camp.

After service, I was so grateful that I got to eat lunch with most of the boys from my cabin and then spend the day with my man Jade's family. His parents Leigh and Terry were so encouraging and I felt very at home there. The night was fun and really relaxing as the girls took the boys on a reverse date, but the end was bitter sweet as we began our goodbyes.

On Monday as we finally had to say goodbye and get on the bus, I finally lost it completely. When Jeff said it was boarding time I just wept as I hugged the campers and counselors who came to see us off. I can't describe my emotions there except to tell you that my heart now belongs to the people of Africa. The love they showed me and joy and peace that I felt with them cannot be explained so I will just leave it there and tell you that I would sell a kidney if that's what it takes to make it back next year.

Today we have been in Paris and I'm loving it but I must say that South Africa has much more of a draw for me. Sightseeing has nothing on the power of the Spirit at work.

Much love to you all,
Jacobus Nkosinathi Paw-Paw Richardson

Praying in Paris

Airplane food is a lot better on air France. We're on a train praying to God and I'm just grateful to be here. Thanks God thanks Africa, see ya next year!
-Chandler Ward

No Fear in Love

Never have I ever felt such heartache in leaving a place. South Africa has been such an incredible adventure! Everything about this country made me feel at home. The people here were unbelievable. The scripture in 1 john 4:18 captures how I felt on this trip. The love from the people here drove out any fear I may have felt. From the moment I arrived the selflessness and hearts of the people blew me away. I felt so taken care of while here and I found no reason to be afraid. Camp was amazing and there was no need to be afraid because of the overflowing love from everyone around me. I am so unbelievably grateful that God allowed me the opportunity to have this adventure and I can't wait to come back next year! Halie

Let on Rain

Well here we are waiting in the airport to board the plane. My heart is heavy from the sadness of having to leave South Africa yet again. This country has stolen my heart in so many ways. I am so thankful to God for allowing me to meet so many of my brothers and sisters from the southern African region. I love you all South Africans!
-Sam Rorabaugh
It's really cloudy outside and slightly rainy and all of me hopes that our flight is cancelled and we have no choice but to return to our host families and stay until our passports run out. That seems pretty unlikely though. There has never been a place that I have connected to so easily and never people I have gotten to know so well in such a short amount of time. My heart hurts to say goodbye, but I know I'll see them again, if not on earth I will in heaven.
-Carly Shortland

Goodbyes.

I told Jeff I'd blog, because I thought I knew what to say, until he handed me the phone. We're on the bus, on the way to the airport. The South Africans chased us as far as they could up the road, as if there weren't enough tears already. Many tears are still being shed, but according to Psalms 126, much joy is still to come from them. Praise the Lord for his power and glory, and especially love. Savannah

Zebras on Holiday

I am eating brunch at the Heia Safari Ranch where Zebra, Springboks, Impala and Giraffes roam freely...and humans spend their holiday in Rondevals (huts) shall we say together. So cool!! The top picture is taken right from my table.  There is a sign by the pool that reads "Please exit the pool when the zebras come to drink."  Ha Ha

The other pictures were taken as we strolled the grounds.  That giraffe was huge!  Truly, a quiet time in motion. God is so creative and beautiful.  Jeff

A Sunday of Gratitude

Thinking back on today's service, we're speechless on where to start. The fact that we were able to give back to the church by ushering and greeting people was a great way to start the morning. We had a camp led service that was run by counselors and campers who attended camp. Let's just say that the worship was awesome. We sang songs from our singing devo that we had on Thursday and it was amazing. After a couple of songs, campers and a few of the counselors got to share about their experience at camp. I think there was a common theme: their lives were deeply moved by camp. It's so encouraging to see after a couple of days how God transformed people's hearts tremendously. Another encouraging thing about the service was how grateful the church was. They were so grateful for all of us coming from America and bringing camp to them. Jeff as always preached an amazing sermon on how to live your life dedicated to God! We also got to witness a baptism which was great. As we sang the last song "Lord I Pray", the overwhelming emotion of gratitude hit. We were so so grateful for rejoicing and singing with our brothers and sisters in South Africa. We couldn't be any more thankful to God for this morning and the South African church has made an imprint on our hearts. Here we are at our host families house about to eat snook, which is a fish that is cooked on the brie (grill) for 80 minutes.
Melina Cole and Nifemi Ogunro

Leaving

Although my trip isn't over yet, knowing that this camp is coming to an end is killing me. I blamed most of my tears on the fact that I am completely sleep deprived, but the truth is I can't imagine going back to America without my brothers and sisters in Africa. Being at this camp has taught me so much. I used to think that I knew how to worship God with my whole heart, but boy was I wrong. These Africans can worship!! The truth is, I may never see these people again in this lifetime but I hope I'll get the opportunity to meet with them ALL in heaven!

Love, Nifemi aka Fems

Saying Goodbyes

Wow this has been an amazing experience. These people have touched my heart. Yesterday we had the thankful devo. It amazed me how many people shared and how open everyone is. I have made so many friends. I love South Africa so much. I'm excited to see everyone in America but it is going to be awful when we leave everyone. I hope with all my heart I will be able to come back next year.
Love everyone
Savannah baird

Dancing Together!

I wish you could see what I see right now: younger campers, older campers, white campers, black campers, loud campers, quiet campers...representing 6 countries and 3 continents, many who had never met before this week; they have played, talked, shared, prayed and learned together. They set aside their differences and found that there are so many things they share in common: temptations, fears, situations, dreams, hopes, spiritual desires, longings to fulfill a purpose.  For one week they have inspired each other, encouraged each other, confessed to each other, and now tonight they dance together, sing to together and laugh together...sometimes I think this is as close to heaven I will ever get on this earth. They inspire me and call me higher. What an honor to dance with them. I pray we dance together all the way to heaven! Jeff

Last Day Dance Party!

Hey its Donovan! The dance party is rocking and this week has been so life changing for me! Shoutout to the GLVCC! SO MUCH FUN! gotta party see ya soon!

District 3( girls )

Hey everyone we are District 3 girls and we are enjoying our selves on Youth Camp in SOUTH AFRICA!!!  We have learnt so much from people all over the world and we are psyched to come next year. We have made tons of friends and are hoping that the friendships we have made will always last.
Lots of love from SA !!!

A New Perspective.

Wow. South Africa has been so much better than I ever imagined. Everyone here is so nice and I've made so many new friends. All the kids and African counselors are so appreciative of us coming here. For many of the Americans, including myself, it's a miracle that we're here. This trip has brought me so much closer to God. I've realized that I have been so complacent with my life and been so busy that I haven't had time to legitimately study and have my quiet times. I thank God and will every day for giving me the opportunity to come here. I can't see myself not coming back next year. I'm so excited to go home and be an example in Thomasville. The excitement I have for my future with God is immeasurable. There are some hard decisions I have made to stay close to God, and this trip is what made me have the courage and support system to make them. This trip has made me realize how grateful I am to have what I have. I am so encouraged by these people and can't wait to come back for camp next year.
Xoxo
Lillie Smith

HELLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOO FROM SOUTH AFRICAAAAAAAA!!!

It's us once again, y'all. Today is the last full day of camp. It's been so much fun already! Last night we had the starlight devo. Is it possible that God saves all the best stars for Africa? There were SO MANY!!
Halie and I are preparing for the talent show together, and the final performance will be tomorrow morning before we leave. There is SO much talent here! Everyone that auditioned got in! We have singers, poetry, soccer tricks, and even a boy that squirts milk out of his eyes!! Whaaaaaat!!? We are so excited for today and tomorrow. Pray for a safe flight back home and for us to make a great impact these last two days.
We love you!
Halie and Elyse
Ps. CHET IS NOT ON THE LIST!!!!!

Don't Climb The Trees

This morning we had our singing devo. We had an amazing group of American and South African song leaders, helping us lift our voices to heaven. We learned South African songs, and taught songs we've learned at camp. The kids here loved it, many going off and praying on their own afterwards. At the end we chanted "one more!" and we were granted an African song. The campers are challenging and being challenged in every sense of the word. My cabin has lost every challenge we've had so far, which is three, and we have our consequence of sugar cookies coming tomorrow (but we still had a lot of fun). As for the title of this blog post, Julia and I tried climbing the trees, and she sprained her ankle coming down. Don't worry parents, its just a mild sprain. :)
-Carly Shortland

United in Christ

Camp has been absolutely amazing this far! I love my cabin so much. I have girls district six and they are 15 and 16 years old. They have become such a unified group of incredible girls in only 3 days. It is amazing how the blood and love of Jesus bonds us so quickly. Today I got to teach the older girls with a lesson called "purity is not a game. " one of the African counselors Palissa taught with me. The girls were very open and eager to learn, which made the class even better. Despite the intensity of the topic the girls responded so well to truth. God truly is working wonders here. I can't wait to see what 2013 brings for these girls! I love them dearly.
-Samantha Rorabaugh

A Different Kind of Air

Being here is the best experience I've ever had. The people here are so polite, respectful, and happy. All of us feel so accepted by the whole South African culture. It's amazing how we all are different but we have the same faith in God. It doesn't matter who you are or what language you speak, you feel right at home. The weather here is so amazing! It's cool in the morning and hot in the afternoon! Most of us have gotten tan since we have been here and the rest have gotten a little burnt. The first night at the camp training with the South Africans, they gave us all African names! We all feel so loved. Right now we are challenging other cabins and these consequences are so well thought out! I am so amazed by how obedient the campers are. They do things the first time they are told. I wish you could all see how amazing it is over here! It's totally life changing and refreshing to the spirit. Today we have our singing devo and its going to be so inspiring. Well its time to eat breakfast and hang out with the campers! We all miss everyone!

Also happy birthday to Melina's brother Cole!!

-Jason Sheffield (Tumelo)

Family

Camp has been absolutely incredible. We are learning to step out of our comfort zones, and make a lot of new friends, that we will still keep in contact with and have for life. It's encouraging to see people join from all over the world and click so easily. We love camp !!! Shelley from Durban and Jordan from Johannesburg

God is Love

South Africa. Oh my gosh what an incredible place. Writing to you guys back home, I still can't believe I'm here, and now I can say more confident than ever that I will never be able to express my gratefulness to those who helped me get here. We're only two days into camp and its already been the most incredible experience I've ever had. Before we even came to our camp sight we got to go visit kids at a kids club that Hope help support. We literally just got to go play with them for three hours, I would've never guessed they never had before, with how immediately loving and attached to us they were. But the truth was that most of these kids were orphans or abused in some way. There was one girl in particular who will always be in my thoughts and prayers now, Jane. At first she never let go of my hand, but then she wanted to be held, and I don't think I could've denied her anything in the world. And I did, until Jeff had to tell her that I had to go when she would re- wrap around me when I tried putting her down. My back and arms were so sore for days after holding her for hours, but I wouldn't have put her down for anything. Not only her, but here at camp kids are starting to take away more and more of my heart. There is no place I would rather be, and I can't wait for what the rest of my time here will teach me. Love you guys! Savannah Veal

Huis (Home).

It's day two of camp and were all ready for another fantastic day! It's amazing to see how welcoming the kids have been since the moment they showed up at Camp. I'm so encouraged by the hearts of all the Africans. All the games are different than in America and we have learned so many different phrases in Afrikaans, Sotho, Zulu and even Swahili. The atmosphere of the camp is exhilarating and ecstatic. We all love it here and everyone has made us feel so at home.
- Amaris & Alexa

It Feels Good To Be Home

Swamp has been like a home for me. I feel safe, loved, I can be myself, I can serve, I'm around my best friends and God is ever so present at camp. And now I have another home, South Africa :) I can not describe how at home I feel. The bond I have made with the South Africans is unlike any other. I've made life long friendships in a matter of two days! We brought in the new year like family with a huge dance party that consisted of crazy dubstep and South African house music! Today the campers came and in the little short time of the day we had, there was an instant connection. I've learned about different words and phrases from my girls and they think my jokes are corny but we're forming a bond we will never break. This is what camp is about and I'm beyond grateful that I get to give my Swamp home to these kids! It's good to be home!
Shoutout to mom dad max and cory. Love you, Melina

True Religion

Man I have forgotten how much I love this place. The culture, the weather, the people, the churches, the singing, the price of movies, and even the food.  It's great to be back.
In James 1:27 it says "pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows."
I got a chance to experience this pure religion. As people have probably mentioned we got a chance to play with kids in need and orphans. In America there is not as much need and poverty. It felt true and pure and genuine to serve and play with the orphans. It was amazing to me that this genuine religion is more prevalent in these orphans, which I connected with so easily, than in the so many other things. I have truly found more true religion in the need of this country than the often religious one we live in.
Currently we are eating breakfast anxiously awaiting the kids. I know I am nervous being only a second time councelor with kids only 3 years younger than me, but I am sure that this week I have a purpose and if I serve with all my heart great things will happen both for me and the campers.
- nick  rorabaugh