Last Update in South Africa!

Hey friends!

Only ten more days here in Johannesburg! Time on campus has looked a little different the past couple weeks with final exam schedules accelerating. Final exam schedules here can last up to three weeks and are coming to a close on Friday. A lot of the girls in Amper Daar have already gone home. Lindsay and I had to say some hard final goodbyes to girls this week that we have been pouring a lot into. Even though it’s been a little over a month, we’ve really gotten attached to these girls. It’s been such a blessing to get to know them and to be able to share our lives with them (1 Thessalonians 2:8). Lindsay and I had some pretty difficult discussions this week with a few girls where we had to be really bold with them. Please be praying that they would see the true gospel and that the Lord would reveal to them where they stand with God.

Our last day on campus is Wednesday and our final event with the students is the Joint Winter Conference which is Friday the 24th through Sunday the 26th in Delmas (after that we will be doing mercy ministry type things for our last few days here). So far there are four girls in Amper Daar committed to come to the Joint Winter Conference and about six girls who are still deciding whether or not to come. The conference will be a great time for girls no matter where there are at spiritually- whether it is to grow in their relationship with Christ or to get their questions about Christianity answered. I can’t wait to see what the Lord is going to do through this conference!!

Sadly this will probably be my last update before the team returns home on July 1st because we won’t have internet access while we are at camp in Delmas. I will be sure to update you all when I return home. Thank you all for your prayers and support. Can’t wait to see you and share more about the trip!

A few of the things I love about South Africa:
-Seeing God as a God of the nations
-The people
-Learning the native languages (more specifically Zulu and Xhosa)
-The beautiful scenery
-Pick N Pay (the grocery store where they have over ten flavors of marshmallows)

Prayer requests for this week:
-Prayer for the girls committed to come to JWC (Lebo, Gugu, Ikho and Pretty)-that the Lord would prepare their hearts to hear His word and be working in them
-Prayer for the girls still deciding whether or not to come to camp (Katlego, Jamee, Adri, Lerato, Slee, Lethabo)-praying that the Lord would break down any barriers that they have to come and fan into flame the desire to know more about Him
-That the Lord’s hands would be on the conference and that the Lord would use the speakers to glorify Himself and bring others to know Him
-Praying that five more students will come to know Christ before the team returns to America
-Energy and perseverance for the time remaining here (Hebrews 12:1-2)
-Unity in the team
-That we would be more captivated by Christ daily and that our eyes would be fixed on Him

With love,

Lauren

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
–Ephesians 2:1-10

Week 4 in Africa

Hey friends,

Another eventful week! Lindsay and I had the opportunity to lead the Bible Study on Wednesday night in Amper Daar. We chose to focus on the topic, “What does it look like to surrender your life to Christ and to follow Him?” Before we started the study, I was able to share the story of how I came to know Jesus and what my life looks like now as a new creation. After my testimony, we went through three different verses: Romans 10:9-10, 2 Corinthians 5:17, and Luke 9:23-25. Romans 10:9-10 says, “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” I think it can be a confusing concept of what it means to really believe in God because it’s easy to grow up thinking that you are a Christian if you simply say you believe in Jesus. A helpful analogy that Lindsay and I were able to share involves a famous tightrope walker who was on top of the Niagra Falls. There was a crowd on top of the waterfall and the tightrope walker was performing for them. He asks them, “Do you believe that I can cross this tightrope?” They all say, “Yes we believe that you can!” He does it successfully and they applaud for him. Next the tightrope walker asks, “Do you believe that I can cross this tightrope while pushing this wheelbarrow?” The crowd once again says that they believe that he can do it. The tightrope walker again crosses successfully and the crowd applauds. Next he says, “Do you believe that I can cross this rope with a person in the wheelbarrow?” The crowd again says that they believe he can. The tightrope walker asks, “Ok, who wants to get in?” The crowd is silent. They confessed that they believed in the tightrope walker but no one wanted to get in the wheelbarrow. I think this analogy relates a lot to Romans 10:9-10 and what it means to really believe in your heart in God. Really believing in God with our hearts means that we must jump into the wheelbarrow. What is keeping us from jumping in the wheelbarrow to follow Christ? Is there something that we are not surrendering to the Lord? Is it the pursuit of success, a relationship, or even just our own unbelief?

And once we’ve surrendered and jumped in the wheelbarrow, what does it look like to follow Christ? I think Luke 9:23 can shed some light on this question. It says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Jesus gives us three things in this verse that we need to do in order to follow him: deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily and follow Him. We must deny our own sinful desires and repent (turn away from our sin and turn towards Christ) to follow Him, and we can only do this by believing in Jesus. The verse also says that we must take up our crosses daily--meaning that this is a continuous, daily process and it’s not going to be easy.

On Thursday, Lindsay and I had the opportunity to meet up with Lebo to grab coffee in the cafeteria. We worked through one of the Life Issues books (a book series that goes through the book of John) and followed up with her on the Bible Study topic from the previous night. Throughout the time we’ve been in South Africa, a lot has been going on in her life. She realized over the past three weeks or so that she has not been following Christ like she thought she had been her whole life. She never before realized the weight of her sin apart from God. She has had a lot of barriers that she has been working through since then. She’s had a difficult time growing up--both of her parents passed away when she was a child and there’s a lot of pain there.

Throughout the past few weeks the Lord has really revealed a lot about Himself to Lebo. He’s the only thing that can heal her pain and bring her real joy. When talking through the wheelbarrow diagram last Thursday, she said that she didn’t feel like anything was keeping her from jumping into the wheelbarrow (becoming a Christian) but she wanted to there. We talked through what Romans 6:23 says about eternal life in Christ being the FREE gift of God, all she had to do was take it, and she did. Lebo giving her life to Christ is one of the most beautiful things that I’ve ever witnessed. She speaks of the joy and freedom that she’s found in the Lord and is amazed by Him. She’s already thinking and praying about how she can glorify God in all that she does. Her passion for the Lord is contagious. Praise the Lord for bringing Lebo into His kingdom! What a gift it has been for me and Lindsay to experience this! I’m realizing more and more each day what a privilege it is to be here serving the Lord in South Africa. Seeing how only the Lord can change people’s hearts and desires but the Lord chooses to use broken people like me to share the Gospel is incredible and something I don’t think I’ll ever really understand.

After our time on campus, it was time for another cultural excursion! Our cultural excursion this weekend consisted of camping at the Pilanesberg game reserve. We camped on Friday night and went on a safari all day Saturday. We had a blast and saw all kinds of animals! Elephants literally came right up to our kombi!

Prayer Requests for this week:

-Praise for Lebo becoming a Christian and prayer that the Lord would fan the flame within her
-Prayer for time with the girls as they are taking exams and starting to go home
-That the Lord would fuel a desire in these girls to know Him
-Prayer for the Joint Winter Conference from June 24th-26th (that girls would want to come, prayer that the Lord would speak through the speakers and the conference and penetrate hearts with His Word and prayer for logistics of the conference)
-Our team would be rooted in the Lord and be joyfully dependent on Him
-God would be glorified by the time we have left on campus

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

-2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Week 3 Update

Dear friends,

Another week has gone by already! So much to update you all on but I'm trying to keep my thoughts concise. Last weekend, the team had a cultural excursion to the Rhino and Lion Park. We drove the kombi through the game reserve and saw all kinds of animals (lions, warthogs, buffalo, and more!). They also had an area with lion and tiger cubs that we could pet and play with. The cubs were so sweet. I wanted to take one home with me but I think it exceeds the weight limit for my suitcase. We also got to see the older lions and cheetahs get fed. I won’t go into a lot of detail about that but just know that it was awesome.

Time on campus this week has been really sweet. On Monday, Lindsay and I watched the Louie Giglio "Indescribable" video with a couple of the Amper Daar girls (it’s on YouTube if you’re interested in watching it!). The video talks about God as our Creator and about how the same God who created us created the entire universe. It walks through some of the known universe and the X-structure of the cross in the center of it. One of the girls who watched the video literally was in awe and her jaw dropped to the floor for the majority of the video. After the video she said I feel like we should pray, can we? Our response was OF COURSE. I’m continuously amazed at greatness of our God.

On Wednesday, Evan gave the talk at the Campus Outreach meeting. The topic was "Myth busters: I am a Christian" with the introduction of "Are you believing and living or are you resting in a false assurance?" A lot of difficult topics were addressed. Almost 2.1 billion people around the world claim to be Christians. But the Bible says, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me ‘Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’ (Matthew 7:21-23).” We live in a world that taints what the Bible says Christianity is and what it means to follow Christ. Many of us live under the impression that by going to Church, praying, or doing good things that we are Christians. To further address this misconception and allow us to ask ourselves tough questions, Evan introduced the test of true belief. This test addresses five challenges (which I will briefly summarize): 1. Being complacent in sin (1 John 1:6) vs. a desire for godliness (1 John 1:7); 2. Trusting in yourself (1 John 1:8) vs. trusting only in Christ (1 John 1:9); 3. Loving the world (1 John 2:15-16) vs. love for God (1 John 2:17); 4. Living for yourself vs. living for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-15); 5. Fruits of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) vs. fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-24). The Campus Outreach meeting raised a lot of really great questions like who/what am I living for? Why am I doing what I am doing? Who’s on the throne of my life? Being a Christian isn’t about cleaning ourselves up to make ourselves look good on the outside—it’s about a relationship with Christ. It’s really humbling to see my need and dependency on Him grow daily.

After the Campus Outreach meeting, we had our Bible study in Amper Daar. The talk at the meeting was a nice transition into our topic for the week, John 3:1-21, the idea of being born again and what that really means. Lindsay also shared her testimony with the girls and about how the Lord has made her a new creation. Tebogo, one of the student leaders, also addressed some questions about the prosperity gospel that had come up with girls over the past week. (There have been a lot of conversations about this in the past week—the Lord has really grown me and Lindsay in boldness through these conversations.) After following up with girls from Bible study and the Campus Outreach meeting, a few of them realized that they are not following Christ and are investigating what it means to surrender their life to Christ.

I need to tell you guys something awesome—a few updates ago we asked for prayer to protect the girls against these false teachers and false doctrines. One of the girls that we have been hanging out with a lot that goes to one of those churches was investigating some things that her pastor said and interpretations that he made from Bible verses and realized that his interpretations weren’t biblical. This is a huge prayer answered! These are just some of the ways that the Lord has been moving on campus. (To the left is a picture of me, Gugu, Lindsay and Lebo hanging out in the dining hall.)

Brief update on this past weekend: went to Soweto, had a kota (mine, pictured below, consisted of a quarter of a loaf of bread with french fries, russian sausage, special meat-still not sure exactly what that is-and every sauce imaginable), tried cow heart, and had an awesome time.

Prayer requests for this week:
-That we would run hard after Christ and be humbled by Him
-That we would have time with girls (students’ exam weeks have begun and their schedules have become more hectic)
-Energy and perseverance
-That the Lord would be working in these girls’ hearts and that He would give them a desire to know Him
-That students would want to come to the Joint Winter Conference and the Lord would knock down any barriers

With love,
Lauren

"The LORD your God is in your midst,a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." -Zephaniah 3:17

Week Two: TIA (This is Africa!)

Hey guys,

So much has happened in this past week. I can’t believe that my team has been in South Africa for two weeks already! Last weekend we had the opportunity to go to a soccer game at Orlando stadium in Soweto. It was a huge game because both teams were undefeated: the Orlando Pirates and the Golden Arrows. We had a blast cheering on the Pirates (and they ended up winning too!) The crowd was hyped up the whole game blowing their vuvuzalas, dancing and cheering. Below is a picture of the stadium and of Me, Lindsay and Lawton enjoying the game (in our Pirates shirts of course).

Driving through the townships in Soweto was a huge eye opener for me. These townships are where people were sent from Johannesburg to live during Apartheid. Seeing little children peer over fences outside their homes at us really struck our hearts. Spending most of my time so far in Johannesburg, I hadn’t experienced much of the poverty that exists in parts of South Africa.
Time on campus this week has been incredible. On Monday night, Lindsay, Kira, Tebogo and I were spending time in Amper Daar and in our last hour decided to go visit a second year girl named Lethabo
on the second floor. We had met her briefly before but didn’t have a whole lot of time to talk with her. I was absolutely exhausted at this point and my heart wasn’t really into hanging out with anyone else. When we walked in, she and a group of about five other girls were having a Bible study. They invited us to stay and are going through a book including difficult topics for college students. The girls meet nightly to pray, encourage each other, and learn more about the Lord. What a sweet surprise for us to see! The Lord really met me where I was and I think He really used that experience to thaw, or soften, my heart. His power is made perfect in my weakness.

Wednesday nights are the Campus Outreach evangelistic meetings and Bible study in Amper Daar. This week’s Campus Outreach meeting was one of the clearest times I’ve heard the gospel—the Lord really opened my ears. Jeff, who is on staff with Campus Outreach in Johannesburg, spoke about a movie called 127 Hours. This movie is based on a true story about an adrenaline junkie named Aaron who is adventuring in a desert-like climate when he falls into a narrow canyon and his arm is pinned under a rock. This canyon is very deep and Aaron has no way to call for help. He is there for days, and eventually runs out of food and water. His arm, being pinned under the rock for so long, begins to decompose. Aaron has tried everything to free himself and it gets to the point that if he wants to live he will have to remove his arm in order to escape. That’s exactly what he does—and as a result, he lives. This movie raises the question to me, what if I was Aaron--Would I do the same thing in order to live?

After the movie clip, we went through Jeremiah 2:13 which says, “My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” The things of this world have such a hold on us, and seem quite appealing at first glance, that we have forsaken God and the spring of living water that He has offered us, in exchange for the world’s broken cisterns. We have taken things other than God, some of which can be good by themselves, and made them the center of our lives—whether these things are relationships, sports, academics, etc. It’s when those things become idols, or the center of our lives, that we run into a big problem. God is jealous for us, and as our Creator, He wants to be the center of our lives. These idols consume us, and keep us from having a real relationship with God, like in the clip when Aaron is pinned in the rock. God wants us to be free from these things.

In Matthew 5 it says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” If these things are keeping us from making God the center of our lives, we have to get rid of them, just as Aaron did when he had to remove his arm to free himself from under the rock. This is our only hope to truly live and experience the joy to be had in a relationship with Christ.

The Campus Outreach meeting was a nice transition into the Bible study. We went through Romans 6:23 which says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our God.” We also used a cool visual called the bridge diagram. The wage, or what we have earned, from being sinners is death—not just physical death but a spiritual death, a life apart from God. The gift of God is eternal life. How do we get from a life apart from God and a life that will lead us to death, to an eternal life spent with God? I, in all that I am, have no ability to do anything but sin. There is no way that I can be sinless. Nothing that I can do, or try to do better, will earn eternal life for me. I am always going to miss the mark of perfection, whether directly in my actions or through impure motives. How then do I get to spend life with a perfect God? Only through Christ. This is because Christ lived a perfect and blameless life. He, alone, deserves to spend eternity with God. He became sin on the cross, and paid the penalty of all of our sin through what He endured on the cross—not only an excruciatingly painful death, but He was also forsaken by God. Jesus bridges the gap between our imperfections and everything that is perfect in God. By repenting, turning away from our sin and running towards Christ, and by putting our faith in Christ, we can have a relationship with God and spend eternal life with Him. Every time I read this verse, it becomes more and more real to me. It was really cool to see the girls in Bible study respond to this verse. Some of the questions we asked afterward were “which side of the bridge do you think you’re on?”, “how do you get to the other side?” and “what is repentance and what does it look like in your life?” I know I’ve said this before, but it is so evident that the Lord is working here and wants these girls to know Him. To see the excitement and awe in their eyes as they learn more about Him is incredible.
Below is a picture of me, KK (one of the leaders in Benjemijn), and Lindsay hanging out before going on campus and a picture of one of the most beautiful places on UJ campus-the fountain!

Please continue to be praying for our team and I would love it if you could pray these things specifically:

-That the Lord would continue to be working in these girls and that there would be openings for spiritual conversations
-Clarity as to who is spiritually interested and which girls we should be investing more time in
-Unity for our team
-Boldness in our conversations
-Prayer for our braii (barbeque) tonight-it’s a big ministry event for us!
-That the Lord would be glorified and His name proclaimed throughout the nation

Thank you all for your prayers and support!

With love,
Lauren

First Week On Campus

Hey guys!!

So much has happened already and we've only been in South Africa for a week! We visited the Aparteid Museum, watched some res soccer matches (and got to play some ourselves!), and had our first week on campus at the University of Johannesburg. I've discovered my passion for soccer--the thought crossed my mind of becoming a professional soccer player and staying in South Africa to continue my career, but that thought has since disappeared. (Pictures of our adventures to come... :) ) We also went to a church called Sophiatown Community Church. It was incredible to worship with South Africans--hearing them sing worship songs in one of their native languages painted such a sweet picture of God being the God of all the nations.

Lindsay and I are in a dorm, or res, called Amper Daar. Our first day on campus was Monday. It's such a blessing to be in this res--all of the girls have been so warm and welcoming. I feel so close to them already, even though it's only been a week. The leaders in the res are Precious, Ikho, Tebogo, and Pretty. They have really made us feel welcome and introduced us to a lot of the girls in the res. It seems like there is a lot of spiritual interest in Amper Daar. Within the past few days, we have been exposed to a lot of beliefs in the prosperity gospel and witchcraft. This really tugs at my heart. I want the girls to see the Lord as He truly is and to love the Blessor, not just His blessings. I had no idea how exposed to Christianity people in this country would be, or how open they would be about their beliefs. A lot of our girls grew up in church but there are not many churches that preach straight truth from what i've seen, and it's not uncommon to have a church that teaches a mixture of native African traditions, such as ancestrial worship, and Christianity, or a church that teaches its followers that if they believe in Christ they will receive a lot of blessings and prosper.

Please be praying the following prayer requests for the team and I:

-Boldness in sharing our faith
-Protection for the students against false teachers and false doctrine (Matthew 7:15-20)
-Continued unity in our team and that we would be rooted in Christ
-Perseverance and energy throughout the week
-That we would learn more about Jesus through these people and this trip

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead."

-Philippians 3:7-11

With Love,

Lauren

Cool Support Story and Some Thoughts on Prayer

Hey guys,

Can’t believe the trip is almost here! We had our final retreat last weekend, April 14^th and 15^th. For part of the time, we split up into ministry partners to pray before we went into a time of support raising. I prayed that the Lord would provide us with $10,000 of support that day. In my mind I was praying expectantly, but honestly I had some doubt in my heart that the Lord would provide. After our support raising time, and we had all turned in the support we had received since our last retreat, and the total amount came to $10,250. Praise the Lord!! I think that I often hesitate to pray specifically like this because I lack the faith that the Lord will provide.

At the retreat, Jeremy spoke about how our culture tends to pray differently from other cultures, such as China. In China, where there is a lot of persecution of the Christian faith, believers don’t know what the next day brings, or if the next day will be their last day of freedom. In an interview, a Christian in China was asked, “How do you pray?” The believer responded that they just pray for more faith—each day asking the Lord to give them more faith to live how the Lord has called them to live. Why don’t I pray like this? Here in America it’s so easy to fall into a trap of materialism and praying for this thing and that—focusing on things that aren’t eternally important. This realization is shaping the way that I pray—I want to pray like the Chinese do. I want to have a true dependency on the Lord and pray like Jesus calls us to in Matthew 6.

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

-Matthew 6:9-13

With love,

Lauren

First Trip Update :)

Dear friends,

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. I am so excited to share this opportunity with you all.

In high school, I’d always dreamed of going to Africa to help those less fortunate than myself. At that point, not yet understanding the full weight of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, I never imagined serving a greater purpose in Africa--going to share the good news of Jesus, that God loves sinners so much that he would send his perfect and holy Son, Jesus Christ, to give His life on the cross, so that sinners may come to know Him and have life in Him. While meeting people’s physical needs are an important part of our trip, a large part of what the Cross Cultural Project involves is being able to share with South Africans the joy that is found in Christ (Matthew 13:44). Jesus has dramatically changed my life over the past year and a half, not because of anything that I have done, but solely because of God’s love for me and His abundant grace. How could I not share that with others?

I’m learning so much already and I haven’t even gotten to South Africa yet! The support process has been so joyful for me (something that is clearly a gift from the Lord). I’ve enjoyed sharing with others the vision for the trip and what God has been doing in my life. He is so faithful and it has been so sweet to see His provision with support over the past few months. The more opportunities that I have to share about my trip, the clearer and more powerful the gospel is to me. What a blessing from the Lord!

Here are some prayer requests for my team and myself:

-That God’s glory would be known throughout the World and that He would continue expanding the team’s vision for the ministry

-Unity for our team

-That the Lord would prepare the hearts of the students at the University of Johannesburg to hear the Gospel and that we would be bold and faithful in sharing it

-That I would be faithful with raising support and dependent on the Lord’s provision

Thank you again for all of your support. I will update you again soon on what I’m learning, the details of the trip, and everything that the Lord is doing!

With love,

Lauren

“He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” -John 11:51-52

Meet Our Team!

Our team is a group of 2 staff and 13 students from Campus Outreach Atlanta. CO Atlanta is an interdenominational ministry with a vision to glorify God by building laborers on the college campus for the lost world. This summer we will be spending 7 weeks on a campus in Johannesburg, South Africa partnering with the Campus Outreach team to ministry to South African students.

Jeremy M.  I graduated from North Georgia in May 2010 with a degree in History Education.  I am now in my first year on staff with Campus Outreach at the University of Georgia.  I am excited to be a part of this team for the summer because I believe that the vision we get to be a part of is an opportunity to impact not only South Africa, but all of Africa and the entire world.

Kira B.  I graduated from Georgia Tech in May 2007 with a degree in Industrial Design and am in my fourth year on staff with Campus Outreach.  Since I graduated I have been on staff at North Georgia College and State University, but have recently moved into the role of our office administrator for Campus Outreach Atlanta.  I want to go to South Africa with hopes of growing in my love for God's people and God's world.

Ashley D.  I am a junior at North Georgia College and State University and I'm studying Psychology.





Ben E.  I am in my 4th year at North Georgia and I'm studying Accounting.  I believe the CCP will give me an opportunity to experience something outside of what I think I know, to have my eyes opened to the power of God, to see how He is beyond anything I can imagine, to have a chance to labor for His kingdom, and to answer the call.

Blaine V.  I am in my 5th year at Georgia Tech and I'm studying Chemical Engineering with a minor in Business.  I want to go to South Africa because I think that's where God is working, and I want to put myself right in the middle of that.  becuase of this it will be an area that will force me to grow.

Chad T.  I am in my senior year at North Georgia and I'm studying Business Management.  I want my view of the gospel to be more than just America, I want to see God work in other countries in different ways, I want to see my faith grown through the gospel being presented in different cultures, and I want to be a doer and not just a hearer of the Word.

Danielle D.  I am in my junior year at University of Georgia and I'm studying Child and Family Development.  I'm excited for the unexpected.  I love the idea that we have a God who is so big that we cannot exaggerate.  The greatness of God makes me realize that the opportunities are endless because anything can happen.

Emily F.  I am in my 4th year at University of Georgia and I'm studying Music Education.  In my own walk with the Lord, I have seen how He's pursed me.  I feel like He has done such great things in my life - more than I deserve - and I look forward to the opportunity to share that with someone who might never have heard or encouraging someone who is struggling to persevere.

Evan L.  I am in my senior year at North Georgia and I'm studying Business Management.  I am excited about the opportunity to experience a culture outside of what we live in.  I want to see Christ in a whole new way and do His kingdom work in a whole new way.

Josh C.  I am in my junior year at North Georgia and I'm studying Biology.  When I think about God's heart, the Great Commission, and how Christianity is not just an American thing, I feel an urgency to go and take the gospel to the nations.  To be a part of something great - something bigger than yourself.

Karen G.  I am in my junior year at the University of Georgia and I'm studying International Affairs with a minor in Anthropology.  I am most excited about the vision of students coming to Johannesburg for college and then going back home to share the gospel as leader's in their community.

Lauren B.  I am in my 4th year at Georgia Tech and I'm studying Business Administration.  I'm praying that the Lord would use me to bring someone to Christ or to be a part of planting seeds in someone's life while we're in South Africa.  I've never experienced that before, and I think it's a beautiful thing.

Lawton F.  I am in my 4th year at Georgia Tech and I'm studying Public Policy.  I want to go to South Africa because I am understanding what world vision means, and that it is God's greatest call to us to spread His Word to all the nations.  It is an incredible opportunity to share the gift I have been given with people who may never hear it otherwise.

Lewis H.  I am in my junior year at University of Georgia and I'm studying Accounting.  I am most excited about being stretched, and having to trust God with something that is out of my comfort zone.  I also want to continue to develop a heart for sharing the gospel and seeing people brought from death to life, particularly with the vision in view of reaching an entire continent through the multiplication of a few.

Lindsay R.  I am in my 4th year at North Georgia and I'm studying Psychology and Sociology.  This summer, I am excited to build relationships with women in South African, to make new friendships and to minister to college students.  I'm also excited to see a new country - to see that our God is not in a box but He is the God of the universe.