Lets start with what we did, and then will be my thoughts about what
we did...
so each day in the morning we would go to a prision, do a two hour
program, then spend maybe an hour talking to people before going to
get lunch, do some shopping, maybe something in the afternoon, prob a
team meeting at some point, and dinner, maybe something in the evening.
So prision visting wise...
we went each friday to the single cells block of pollsmoor, and did a
"devotion" there, with people from that block, but also from nearby
blocks of 18-21 year olds, with a mix of sentaced and unsentaced
people. basicaly a two hour program of worship, teaching, drama, and
time when the prisioners would share things. we also told
testomonies, played games, alex did some magic tricks etc.
On the first saturday we went to drakenstein, were the guys put on a
program, in which we did nothing, except say hello. much as devotion,
but there there was a band which did fantastic worship. We also went
there on the last tuesday and did a devotion for people there.
The second saturday we went to devona, a youth detention centre, much
like prision, but easyir to escape from, and they are nicer to you.
more younger people there, and people with fairly short sentance's.
we did a devotion there.
On mondays we went to B4, a section of pollsmoor for sentaced
16-19/20 years olds where we did another devotion. but this is also
the place we went every other day, and lead a program. The other days
were similar, with worship, teaching, drama, etc. but only for a
hour, and then the second hour was with smaller groups, discusing
everything more closely and generaly getting to know people more
closely. there are about 80 peps in that section, and we worked with
largely the same group of about 50, small groups were about 15.
What else?pollsmoor is about 20 mins from adrians place, a big
overcrowed prision of about 7000 prisioners. there are 3 main
sections, the juvinial section, mens, and womens. we only visited the
juvinal sections.
Drakenstain is out in the county, about an hour away, about 2000 in
total, about 600 in the juvinal section, we had a group of about 50
there.

I feel i have gained alot more than i gave, i saw things and
experience things i have never come into contact with before. the
whole three weeks there were new places, new people.
I think i have said this whereever i have been away from home on
missions, but something really special is to worship and meet with
God in different ways and in different situations. Its great to be
10000km away for home and still find the same amazing God, doing the
same things and different things. To see the work of god in indivuals
so far away, give some idea of how imense god is, he has plans for
everyone, and for my three weeks just to go and be a tiny part of
that for all the people i met there.
One of my favourite time's in prision was at the end of our programs,
hanging around and talking to people, finding out about them and
there stories and also to talk about what there heard that day and
trying to get people to do something about what they were hearing.
Like one guy, jason, who kept saying he wanted to change, he wanted
to give is life to god, but he was still involved in gang stuff,
getting in fights etc. and in fact he missed one day 'cause he was in
a fight the night before.
It was also strange to talk to people in prision, they are there for
many things, and they have all done worse things that they werent
caught for, but they are just normal people, we can chat, and play
football, in one prision there was a fantastic band, they play pool,
and we can worship god together. Something really went wrong that
they got involved in gangs and stuff and are now in prision.
Another thing we saw was how much work there is to do in the prision,
and outside, and how few are the workers. And how people like Adrian
and Sybil go everyday and yet they still say the results are few, and
there is so much they cant do, there just isnt enough people.
Something i heard about whilst i was there, which is really cool was
when some christian prisioners went to another section and told about
God, and 17 gangsters repented. They are now trying to work with them
and stuff. but i though how great that prisioners could evanglese
each other, within the prision. when that happens more i think
amazing things could happen.
Anther interesting thing was to be in South Africa, and see for my
self the country we used to hear about and learn about in history at
school, about the apartid. Its was weird, 'cause its "finished", and
you no longer hear about South Africa on the news you assue
everything is fine and sorted, but really there is still a huge
sepertation between the race's, and there is alot of fear etc. you
can also see the big problems that have been caused and new problems
as the goverment trys to even things out. The country has many
problems, one reason why so many youths are in the prision, and you
can see its gonna take along time to recover.

The Big Ending

Hey Everyone!
So here I am again, i think the forth time, this time on a plane
flying to Kiev, yes, its nearly over.
And what do you guys wanna know? well we had a great time, saw God do
many things, and, yea, I think this mission has changed my life, as
well as hopefully, a few prisoner's lives. I don't know how many of
their lives will change, certainly there have been change's in
character, and many people sound alot closer to Jesus than ever
before, but as i said to the guys when we left, i hope to see as many
of them as possible in eternity, but I don't know...we'll find out
when we are there.
I have proberly said much of this before, in one of my many blog
post's, but for me it has just been fantastic to be 10000km away from
home, sharing and worshipping the same God, who is the same
everywhere. I have met some really encoraging people, a 20ish year
old who has 42 years ahead of him, but i rejoicing in the work the
Lord has given him to do i the prison. Another guy who has been in
for about 10 years i think, has set up a...place...in the prison
where he ministers and teaches about Christ, he is going home soon,
about 6 months left, but he is in no hurry to get out, and wants to
go back and work in the prison when he is released.
...more to follow, but im tired and well, yea, i'll be back...

More from SA

Hey everyone, so as any of you who read my normal blog will know, im not very good at the whole blogging thing, i dont write very often etc, but here i am again, live from South Africa, with more news of happenings here.

So actually, i started writing this the other evening, but got distracted talking to people on msn, but i was talkinng about what we have been doing, so instead of writing it all again, im just gonna copy it for you to read, and sorry sam, cause there will be nothing new for you to read,...

are you having fun out there? got over the nervousness?

22:16:51 Me: oh yea, its great. i love going into prision

22:18:04 Me: its not at all scary having been onc

22:18:06 Me: e

22:19:09 Sam: are you just going there and talking to people, or are you doing something else as well?

22:20:25 Me: no we are running a program for the prisioners, we start with worship, then testomonies, drama and explaination, then an introduction to a topic, which we discuss in smaller groups

22:20:33 Me: then back together

22:20:45 Me: for feedback, and more worship

22:20:54 Me: we get about 45 guys each day

22:21:06 Me: and have 3 small groups

22:21:14 Sam: wow, good stuff

22:21:18 Sam: how many of you are doing this?

22:21:40 Me: we spend about an hour the first bit, bout hour in sg's and about 30 mins at end

22:22:05 Me: and after we are there for ages talking one on one with people

22:22:24 Me: most days we get there about 9/930 and dont leave until half 1

22:22:29 Me: 7

22:22:42 Sam: what do you do with the rest of your day?

22:22:49 Me: plus adrian and sybil, who work here full time

22:22:57 Me: but dont do much in our program

22:23:10 Me: eat, prepare for next day

22:23:43 Me: and do a few other things...eg yesterday we went to ocean view, which is one of the coloured communities

22:23:55 Me: and viisted some people adrian knows who live there

22:24:54 Me: and today we went to another coloured area were there was a gathering of people at hte house of another guy who works in the prision, with his family and friends and also so ex-prisioners who live around there

22:25:09 Me: and who became christians in teh prision

22:25:41 Sam: so do adrian and sybil do the kind of thing you guys are doing normally?

22:26:11 Me: kinda of...

22:26:38 Me: so we have been doing what i descrbed all in one part of the prison, everyday since monday

22:27:17 Me: wereas normaly they go to different parts each day

22:27:33 Sam: ah

22:28:16 Me: so on a monday they go were we are, and do a program, similar, but without small groups, for about to hours, they call it a devotion

22:29:06 Me: then on tuesday they go to another prision, about 100km away, and have been doing little study groups, so adrian has just finised an anger management course there

22:29:42 Me: on wednesday they meet one on one with people, having made apointments trough out the rest of the week

22:29:45 Sam: wow... good works

22:29:50 Sam: and impressive commitment

22:30:10 Me: on thursday they go into the mens medium and maximum sections

22:30:57 Me: again for small meetings, less evangelisic, more keeping up with people they know who have been moved cause they got older

22:31:22 Sam: ?

22:31:38 Sam: why would people be move to the more secure areas as they get older?

22:32:13 Me: no, to the men's section, the other bits, i mentioned where juvinial sections

22:32:37 Sam: ah, okay

22:32:39 Me: friday, in a single cells in a differnet juvinil section, also a lot of un sentaced guys

22:32:44 Sam: that makes far more sense

22:32:48 Me: yea..

22:33:18 Me: o tomorrow we will be leading a program in single cells

22:33:27 Sam: so are you working with the juveniles or the adults?

22:34:11 Me: juvinials, the younger section which is 16-18

22:34:39 Me: but with people up to 21, when they would be moved to mens

22:34:53 Me: and a lot of people who lie bout there ages

22:35:16 Me: i was talking to a guy yesterday who is 23, but said he is 20

22:35:25 Sam: ah, that makes slightly more sense to me... I didn't realise you were working with younger people

22:35:40 Me: sorry, i just kinda forgot, 

22:35:50 Sam: was that just to avoid going to a proper prison?

22:35:51 Me: we havnt been into the men's sections at all

22:36:01 Me: no, no, no

22:36:09 Me: the mens medium is very similar

22:36:22 Sam: oh

22:36:25 Me: the maximum is obviusly slightly differnet, but...

22:37:40 Me: also saterday we are going to a differnet prision, to lead a devotion, with youth again

22:37:54 Me: and moday we will be back were we have been this week

22:38:05 Me: tuesday, in the place 100km awya

22:38:31 Me: wed/thur in our main place, and friday is our last day, in single cells again

And this is some more:

23:43:16 El: is there anything that i can pray for?

23:43:18 Me: yea me too

23:43:26 Me: certainly

23:44:42 El: like???

23:44:59 Me: so in the prision, today i was talking to some people who want to accept jesus but feel they cant because they dont want to go back on it, in the prision there is alot of presure from gangs...and there is alot of demonic activity

23:45:29 El: yeah

23:45:35 El: definately

23:46:40 Me: yea, mostly that god's power can working the prision, and that the inmates can...feel they can make a comitmet, and know that god will support them, that he is more powerfull that the devil

23:46:46 El: its amazing that jesus can break into the lives of even these people and change them to beyond recognition

23:46:57 El: absolutely

23:49:29 El: (there is a v scary picture of you on here!)

23:49:43 Me: lol

23:51:25 Me: yea, its really strange, there are people there for all sorts of things, but most of them have come from gangs and so even if they arnt in prision for it, they have murderd...shot or stapped people, lots have been in armed robbery, and so to see them worsiping god...

23:52:14 El: have you seen anyone commit their life to Him and change?

23:53:33 Me: no commitments, but there is a guys adrian, who has been working here everyday for about 5 years, so there are quite a few christians, and many changed lives, many on the way

Mission In Africa

hello!
so today was the second day in prision, today was a really encoraging
session in a different prision, Drakenstien, about 100km from cape
town. There the christian prisioners put on a program of worship and
testamonies. Its was really great to worship with the guys, they made
us feel realy confortalble and and welcomed, Some of the guys have
amazing stories of the change's god made in their lives, how they
have come into prision having robbed, been in fights, many have
killed people, but they have changed compleatly, and have been remade
in God. And there is a real feeling of freedom in many people, some
have upto 40 years in prision yet to come, but feel that God has a
purpose for them where they are. One guys who has 4-6 years left said
he really isnt in a hurry to leave because of the great things he is
doing with oher inmates in the prison

Well that is all for now, more updates later

Hey People, some of you (dave to name just one) have been complaining
about a lack of...enfusiasm regarding our blogs and the lack of
post's since we arrived here. well some of that can be atributed to a
lack of internet connection, but that has now, at least for me been
solved...so here i am

Today was our 3rd day here in Cape Town and was another great day. So
far each day since we arrived we have had a little meeting in the
mornings, discusing the culture, history etc of South Africa, and
also about prision life, about the gangs that work inside and the
atitude of prisioners. we have also found out alot more about what we
will be doing, though i will save that for tomorrow when i will
actually have been there.

So this evening im quite excited about tomorrow, going into prision
for the first time and actually seeing what is happening. im excited
about the opportunity to talk about Christ and God with people. but
im abit wary(wery, i have no idea how to spell that word, im worry
about...) the language thing, 'cause although they speak english,
they dont speak it the same way as we do...there is a guy who live's
with adrian and its often very hard to understand what he's saying,
but apparently he speaks lots better than some of the guys in the
prision...so, well, i will find out tomorrow, i dont like to worry
about things, and as im mostly sleeping between now and when we get
there, im not gonna worry much about this.

Ok peps, see you around, i will try and write about what happend
tomorrow