The beginning of 2012 has had some exciting new developments to the ACTS South Central office. The first of February brought about the launch of ATOM – A Taste of Missions. This year-of-your-life program was founded by ACTS in partnership with Zambesi Holidays, a Harare-based Christian organization that does regular work in local schools as well as provides holiday camps for school kids. This year’s ATOM program consists of six participants: three guys from Zimbabwe and three girls from South Africa. Each participant comes from a different background and has come with different expectations for the year. ATOM was designed as a year of your life program for missions passionate young adults filled with a sense of adventure and a commitment to taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. While on the ATOM program, these participants will be involved in initiatives such as schools ministry, local church life, rural evangelism, orphan care, sports camp, physical maintenance and guiding on ACTS overland tours. We in the ACTS office are so excited to walk alongside these six young adults as they work and seek Gods will for this part of their lives.

ATOM 2012 Team
Back row: Shakes, Dax (ACTS guide), Tonderai
Front Row: Emma, Caitlin, Lauren, Leroy

In addition to the launch of ATOM, we also held an ACTS guides training course. During the second week of February, we invited young adults interested in guiding to come be part of a week-long program that introduced them to ACTS, taught some of the basic principles of guiding such as cooking for groups, bush camping, trip accounts and country/destination information. This group was such fun to work with and we really look forward to working with some of them in the future.

2012 ACTS Guides Training

ACTS was privileged to facilitate the logistics of yet another successful Simpsonville Baptist mission trip to Kenya. This year’s trip included setting up a medical clinic that ministered to over 650 people and an eye clinic that provided services to over 400 people. They were also able to provide 50 water filtration units to the county of Soi, Kenya. In total they have now helped with the instillation of 100 water filtration units in Soi, Kenya over their last two trips. Two of the team members had the privilege of having a meeting with some of the local pastors and key community leaders, to discuss community and economic development. They discussed a non-profit model of relieving poverty and the goal for equality for all in investment and results. The team was also blessed to speak in five schools and visited one orphanage.

Team Make-up: 3 doctors, 2 nurse practitioners, 2 nurses, 3 eye clinic workers, 2 pastors and 1 floater.

Vision for the Future :

† Poultry farming † Bee Keeping † Horticulture † Medical Services † Farm and Animal Production
† Gardening education † Dental, Optical † Benevolence for Widows and orphans † Reforestation

Challenges
٭Lack of knowledge and training ٭Extreme poverty ٭Funds for projects ٭Pastors’ training
٭Benevolence from churches ٭Education advances

27 February – 10 March 2012

This month, ACTS facilitated a tour for an American university group from Maryville College in Maryville TN. This university offers several “J-Term” or January-Term travel courses each year through which students are able to travel abroad while earning course credits.

This year’s Southern Africa tour took the group through South Africa, Botswana and Zambia and was focused primarily on education and orphans. Students were challenged to put their knowledge of African culture, history and child development into action by immersing themselves in local schools and day care programs. It was a great opportunity for them to connect the theories they study at university with practice by providing English instruction at local schools, crafts and game with after-school programs, and much, much more. In addition to their work in schools, the group was also able to experience some of Africa’s flora and fauna at its best. A two-day mokoro safari took the group deep into the Okavango Delta where they glided along the waterways of the largest inland delta in the world. Surrounded by reeds and water-lilies, the students got up close and personal with some of Botswana’s pristine wildlife. Guided bush walks during the day and camping under the stars marked just a few of the unforgettable adventures experience by these students. Another very memorable stop on the journey was Livingstone, Zambia: home of Victoria Falls. In addition to bartering at local craft markets and visiting the David Livingstone museum, the Maryville College students were able to visit the Falls and experience one of the Seven Wonders of the World. From teaching local students to being poled through the vastness of the Delta, the students from Maryville College certainly had a “J-Term” to remember.

ACTS was pleased to provide transport and logistical assistance for Lecrae’s Unashamed Tour which included Zimbabwe amongst numerous other African countries. Lecrae is an American Christian rap artist and it was truly a blessing to see the impact this tour had on the lives of young Zimbabweans and the community, both Christian and non-Christian.

“Wherever You lead, I will go”. That’s what I prayed not long ago, before I had ever even heard of ACTS. It was just by chance I came across the opportunity to come to South Africa as a volunteer, and being selected by an entry on Facebook came as a total shock. However even as I sat staring at my name as the winning entry those words came to mind – “Wherever You lead, I will go”. So go I did, travelling alone for the first time and to another continent where I knew no-one and little of what to expect. But the whole time I have known that as long as God is leading me, I will keep following.

The last month in South Africa has been life changing. It may sound like an overused cliche, but I’ll be returning home different to when I left. One of the biggest lessons I have learnt comes in that I have experienced what it truly means to be a servant. Spending an afternoon washing the hands and feet of children from a community of shacks and dirt streets is enough to humble anyone. Seeing the joy and excitment in their faces that someone is taking time to care for and love them on such a basic level is an experinence beyond comparison. Then to play catch and jump rope with children so happy despite the fact that they have so little, gives a sense of perspective to the way most people would look at life.

I have learnt the power of encouragement and being a listening ear. Everyone has a story to tell, and the way that faces light up at realising you want to hear it is an awesome thing to see. As I have listened to the stories of both the children and staff I have worked with opportunities have arisen time and time again to be a voice of encouragement speaking into their lives. Whether it is encouraging one little girl to continue at school to attain her goal of studying nursing, or discussing how it is that God is interested in every part of lives and relationships with a fellow volunteer. Often in everyday life we become so busy and have no idea of the story, the triumphs and the struggles of the people we are surrounded by each day.

I have had experiences that many people only dream about, and seen things that many can only imagine. I have attended HIV and Health Screenings, sung and prayed with patients in the hospital and served food to a substance abuse rehabilitation group. I have washed the hands and feet of children, preached Jesus in the streets of unestablished townships and even painted the offices of some of the most dedicated and passionate staff I have ever met. Yet not only in the rewarding but also the most challenging and comfronting of moments, I knew that I was exactly where I was meant to be. I came to South Africa thinking I would make a difference in the lives of others; what I didn’t exepct was the great and lasting difference they would make in me.

I have always looked on guiding mission trips as a job straight from heaven. You often get to travel to exotic locations, meet amazing and interesting people, camp in the deepest bush, and if you’re lucky, at times even enjoy a bit of luxury … and … get paid for it! So when I was recently asked to help out on a student trip to Botswana, I jumped at the chance. Finding out that we’d be exploring the Okavango Delta (a place that I’ve always really wanted to see) only increased my excitement for the trip.

Our group met at Johannesburg airport, where two ACTS guides, our chef, driver and 28 excited American students all gathered. We boarded Big Anna (our hefty 2 ton overland truck) and set off for the border. Sitting high up in Big Anna, with the windows wide open, a nice breeze blowing and a bird’s eye view of the surroundings, immediately gave the trip an immediate ‘safari in Africa’ sort of feel.

The first two days were spent almost entirely on the road. Despite having so many people in such a confined space for 2 days, everyone seemed to get on pretty well and it was a very merry safari truck. The salt pans were an amazing sight, although we didn’t have much time to enjoy the surreal surroundings. By the end of the 2nd day we were more than ready to reach our destination, the incredible Okavango Delta, with some individuals passing the time by counting donkeys (of which there seem to be way too many in Botswana!). Finally we arrived in Maun, a town on the shores of the Delta. Early the next morning we loaded up light travel bags, piled into a truck and were soon ready to board the mokoros. We were a little delayed as one of the girls was very concerned about mice in the Delta, and refused to get into her mokoro until we had convinced her that this was one of the animals she definitely didn’t need to worry about.

We quickly realised that our oarsmen were incredibly skilful. The whole delta is pretty shallow, so they stand on the back of the mokoro and steer it along by pushing a long wooden stick off the bottom of the Delta floor. For the 1st half an hour everyone was blown away by the beauty of it all: marshy swampland as far as the eye could see, beautiful plant life and millions of little animals flying, crawling and swimming all around us. However, it wasn’t long before the peaceful motion of being gently pushed along (and the warm sun on our faces) had most of us in a blissful snooze. I was in a mokoro with our chef Tichawena, who had become a little too acquainted with hippos on a previous trip, and was keeping a sharp eye out for what he referred to as ‘those dangerous beasts.’ – thankfully we managed to avoid hippos and crocodiles for the whole trip. After about 2 hours of gliding through this water wonderland we landed at our little island and soon had camp set up. Tich prepared lunch while we explored our paradise, which would be home for the next 3 days.

With so few possessions, we probably should have got bored during our time on the island, but somehow we never did: We spent hours trying to learn to steer a mokoro in a straight line, and ended up spending a lot of time falling off – even by the end of the trip none of us had mastered this very tricky art! We also spent a lot of time playing the water version of American football – a game involving a tennis ball, a few mokoros and an underwater camera which kept us endlessly entertained.

For some of the girls the camping lifestyle took a while to get used to. Top of the complaints list were the mosquitoes at night and the idea of having to dig a hole for a toilet. The lack of internet and music also got a mention, but luckily everyone soon adjusted to life in the bush. On one of the afternoons we went for a sunset mokoro cruise, sticking to the shallower water to avoid hippos as most of us were swimming behind the mokoros. In the mornings our local guides took us for long game walks, and even though we didn’t see an abundance of wildlife, we did leave very impressed with their knowledge of the whole Delta area. The hot days were spent lazing in the shade and swimming in the Delta, and the evenings around the fire and sleeping under the stars all blended together, and pretty soon, all too quickly, our last day had arrived.

On the final evening the mokoro oarsmen and guides entertained us with a song and dance performance, which we tried to match with a few of our own songs (Country Roads and Shosholosa), but we definitely came off second best. The next morning we planned to be on the water at 8am to get back to meet our truck, but on our early morning game walk the guide found lion spoor tracks … needless to say we got a bit ‘sidetracked’ and got back to camp late morning. Having met up with Big Anna again, we said our sad goodbyes and continued on to our next merry adventure.

Getting a bit wet on a morning game walk.

Peaceful sunset’s on the Delta.

Learning to steer a mokoro as night falls over the Delta.

One of the guides with a skull found out on a game walk.

Water, sun and a whole lot of fun.

by Sam Bradley (ACTS Guide)

In October this year, ACTS was able to facilitate the first-ever Hillsong Africa Tour. Spanning eight days, three countries and four cities, the Hillsong Tour was used in mighty ways to reach people across Africa. Pastor Phil Dooley had this to say about the heart of the tour “The idea for the Worship Tour came from our desire to reach beyond what’s happening here in Cape Town. We’ve always said we’ve got a heart for the continent of Africa. One of the strengths of Hillsong is worship, and worship is something that gathers people. So we felt it was a great first step for us to launch beyond what we’re doing here as a local church, and gather churches, gather believers. Hopefully, people are going to bring friends who don’t know Christ along to each of the events, and it’s going to be something that really blesses each of the cities that we go to.”
In each city the Hillsong group facilitated leadership conferences, pampering sessions for women and of course, evening worship events

A tired but elated Warren Brown (band vocalist and guitarist) said that, if the band were asked to do a second set right then, they would do it all over again, ‘if it meant that one person in a crowd of thousands met Jesus.’ The following morning, he added: ‘We’ve got such a greater expectation now for Tuesday night’s event in Francistown, because God showed us what he can do. I believe that from event to event, we’re just going to go from strength to strength, and from glory to glory. We just want to see people’s lives changed, and have them walk away with that sense of, “I found hope; I found Jesus.

At the Sisterhood events, the team served rooibos tea (the most popular refreshment in Botswana), coffee, and home-baked biscuits, and there was a pamper zone, where volunteers gave shoulder massages and painted nails to the women attending.

Leadership Conference

Hillsong Cape Town. Africa Tour Blog. Retrieved October, 2011, from http://hillsong.co.za/my-church/africa-tour-blog/

YES, YOU READ IT CORRECTLY! WE ARE GIVING AWAY A FREE CHRISTIAN
VOLUNTEER PLACEMENTS FOR 2012!

‘LIKE’ our “ACTS Africa” Facebook page and either write in 100 words or post a video clip, why you would like to serve Christ in Africa with ACTS. We will pick a lucky winner, who will be able to come volunteer with us FOR FREE!

The placement is valid for a volunteer placement during the SUMMER of 2012!
(Entries close 31 March 2012)

Looking for a way to serve Christ in your study-break?
Maybe you have a burning passion for missions and need to step out?
Is God calling you to cross-cultural ministry?

We want to hear from you! And feel free to dress it up with VIDEOS AND/OR PHOTOS!

Please note if you make a booking for any one of our Summer Volunteer Projects and you are the lucky winner, we will give you a 100% refund!

As per all of our volunteer placements your experience does not include flights; however, it does include all meals, accommodation, and project-related transport. This competition is applicable to all ACTS Summer Projects, and the winner is subject to approval by
trough our usual application process.

ENTER NOW

For more information about our 2012 SUMMER PROJECTS please visit our VOLUNTEER PROJECT page.

ATOM – A Taste of Mission with African Christian Tours and Safaris (ACTS), in partnership with Zambezi Holidays

ATOM is designed as a ‘year of your life’ program for missions passionate young adults and school leavers, filled with a sense of adventure and a commitment to taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. ATOM is designed to help you to step out and explore your missional gifts and passions.

Many of our staff have had life changing experiences through participation in such programs and it is our passion to pass this on. For us, it happens to also be a useful recruiting ground for potential new employees. The entire program is run on a non profit basis.

ACTS is Africa’s leading facilitator of short term missions teams, Christian holiday groups and Christian volunteers. In 2011 we served over 450 groups across Southern and East Africa.

When serving missions teams, ACTS serves only those that are in relationship with and partnering with local churches on the ground.

WHATS INCLUDED

ACTS, in partnership with Zambesi Holidays (Zamhols), will give you exposure to:

- The ACTS South Central office in Harare and the countries it oversees
- 3 X 10 Day theological, camp leading, guide training and cross cultural training blocks
- Assisting our guides on ACTS tours and safaris, countries may include (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Botswana) *Major component
- Local church life in a cross cultural African context
- Schools ministry across Zimbabwe, but primarily Harare
- Serving Zamhols on Christian adventure camps aimed at High School Students
- Rural Evangelism
- Orphan care and related ministry (Options include child care, tutoring, life skills coaching, sport coaching, building maintenance, feeding programs and others)
Vehicle maintenance in our truck workshops (if of interest)
Back end logistical admin for the missions teams and youth camps – see what makes it tick!

DATES

The year runs from 1 February to 7 December. ACTS and ZAMHOLS provide accommodation in our guest house. We handle all of the necessary transport, oversight and training. All meals are included.

COST

The program is effectively 311 days long. When in Harare your cost of transport, board and lodging will be $25 per day.

When guiding, or serving as crew on camps you will not be required to pay the $25 per day and we guarantee that this will account for at least 121 days of your time with us.

ACTS pay their crew when on tour and we believe that you should be compensated too. When guiding, or serving as assistants on tour you will be paid accordingly. This pay varies depending on how you grow into this role, taking on increasing responsibility.

ATOM program participants are guaranteed 100 days minimum on the road on tours for which you will be given $10 to $35 per day. Those excelling in the area of guiding can spend a significantly longer proportion of the year on the road.

What does this mean?
A more junior participant, not paying $25 for 121 of the days and on tour for the minimum amount
(100 days) at the lowest pay rate will pay $3,775 for the year all incl.

A more typical participant will need to put in approximately $2,500 for the entire year.

An outstanding but novice guide can expect to walk away with a small amount of income plus tips.

For more information and application forms,
please email Barry Rawlings on barry@africanencounter.org