Many of you have been asking to see some pictures, so here they are! They are very out of order, but pretty self explanatory. Enjoy!

Look forward to a final post from Kevin about our trip...(he is the better writer).

Here are some pictures...

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Much has occurred since the last transcript. Cassie and I enjoyed Christmas festivities with the family. Traditions were celebrated and new ones were formed. This past week was full. The whole family worked at Kidstop on Christmas eve and Christmas day. It was a joyous occasion to bless and be blessed by the giving of gifts to little ones with much love to give. We all received a great dose. Eva, a friend of Cassie's from Germany (they met here in South Africa) also joined us for Christmas and the following days after wards. Following the Christmas festivities we headed for Port Elizabeth with stops in Knysna, Jeffrey's Bay and the worlds tallest bungee jump along the garden route here in South Africa. Port Elizabeth offered the ventures of Addo Elephant Park. While there we took in various wonders of God's creation in a much less subdued venue than the American zoo. We also spent much time playing cards and soccer with the siblings cousins. Knysna offered up gorgeous views of a magnificent bay set between crushing rocks. Jeffrey's Bay was a different flavor--a step into the surfing culture. Lastly, Shawna, Justin, Joel, Jason and myself all took the 216 meter jump from the tallest bridge in Africa. None of us died. We now are resting. Cassie's parents and sister leave for America tomorrow. Justin soon leaves for Johannesburg to go to Youth Week, a Christian camp for youth all across Africa. Cassie and I leave in two days for our eventual journey to Cape Town preceded by a stop in Stellenbosch and the beautiful wine country surrounding the quaint university town.
-Kevin

Hello Friends and Family! Happy New Years! I hope that you all had a blessed Christmas season and are excited for this upcoming year and all that it will bring. We had a wonderful celebration with friends and family, playing games, singing and sharing with one another. It has been neat to reflect on this past year and see how our stories have been shaped more and more. My parents and sister have left for Cape Town and we are spending a couple more days here in George. We aren't feeling ready to leave yet, but know that this trip here is coming to an end. We had a neat day today. We got up earlier than I would have liked after staying up late for New Years and walked into town with my dad to find doughnuts. He still hadn't tasted all of the South African doughnuts and we thought that was a shame. We finally found an open bakery after coming across many that were closed for the holiday. While walking around, we were struck by the people that we saw. One group of boys especially caught my attention. I could tell from a mile back that they were street kids and as we approached them, my thought was confirmed. The five boys ranged in age from nine to fifteen, one of them had a beer bottle in hand. We started having conversations with my dad about these kids and why they are in the place that they are. There are many social problems here in South Africa, but the issue of street children (community kids) is one that really grabs my heart. What can we do for the least of these? We took very small steps on this trip to remedy the problem, but what will bring LASTING CHANGE AND HOPE for these kids? We will continue to research the problem and ways to bring about positive change for these kids. We will also continue to support and love our friends who are currently doing this work in South Africa. These kids deserve it! After our bakery run, we headed to Options Care Centre (HIV and pregnancy crisis and counseling) to show my parents and sister the different projects that are currently in place. I really missed not spending more time here on this trip, but would really need a larger amount of time to do effective counseling and serve the clients best. My dad was shocked that approximately 200 new clients a month are served through this small centre (Afrikaans spelling). After wards we visited a friend of ours and Laurie's in Thembelethu, a black township. We enjoyed coffee and conversation with him and his wife. They are expecting a baby in the spring and are really praying that he/she will be HIV negative. We will pray alongside them... In addition, they are taking all of the possible precautions to prevent this. Finally, we wrapped up our afternoon and the mini-golf course to celebrate Joel's (my cousin's) high school graduation. It was an encouraging time together with family and friends. We are excited to see what is next for him. Well it is now time to eat some popcorn. Kevin made is special with dill and garlic...yum! Thanks for listening!
-Cassie

**We will upload pictures upon our arrival home
**Please pray for a safe and peace filled flight!

A Mug of Coffee

The coffee is wonderful here. People walk around with their plungers, refusing to acknowledge that they also use a plunger when things get backed up, and obstinately denying to have ever heard the term "french press," yet denouncing the monotonous drip of everyday coffee. We have spent the last three days in Cape Town enjoying the coffee and views. We traveled to the beaches, ate the fresh fish (grilled, fried, and raw) enjoyed the spectacular views, witnessed past and current atrocities at the District Six Museum (a purvey into SA apartheid history) journeyed up Table Mountain, saw the future home of World Cup 2010, salivated through tongue explosive meals, meandered through a open air market in the rain and look forward to experiencing the ministries of the Beautiful Gate this morning on our way back to George. Cape Town has been wonderful. It has also been scary. Yesterday we returned to our Bed and Breakfast for a quick nap before dinner--a wonderful Malayan meal! I was not tired and ventured out on my own. Striking up conversation with three individuals on a busy street, I was suddenly struck from behind. Soon three assailants were on me trying to force me into an abandoned business--a dark hallway filled with trash and debris of a failed enterprise turned domicile, something better than the gutter. I began yelling for help and pulled my aggressors over the sidewalk, through the parked cars and into moving traffic, falling to the ground. The struggle lasted for some time of which I am unsure. Eventually a cop pulled up, and the individuals left after attempting to pull of my shorts. They were successful in ripping off one side of them, removing my cargo pocket which contained Cassie and I's room key and three pieces of candy. My wallet, and keys to the front door remained safe in my hands and the other pocket. I returned home with half my shorts, scraped knees, elbows and a concerned family and friends who helped clean me up. I enjoyed a warm mug of coffee.

A Quick Update...

Hello Friends and Family,
It is Cassie writing from George, SA. I hope that you enjoyed the couple great updates that Kevin posted. We are doing very well here, we are fully immersed in the people and community and are loving every minute of it. It is hard to allow ourselves to take a break when we know that our time with these friends is so short! But we did take some time on Thursday to go to the beach and hang out with my brother. Justin is here! He arrived on Tuesday night and it has been so wonderful to reconnect with him and hear about his time in Uganda. It is interesting comparing and contrasting the two countries. We have had some great conversations about the cultures, the people and approaches to social problems. Over this past week, we have continued spending a lot of time at Kidstop, the drop-in centre for street kids. We have been in charge of the programming and had a Joseph theme this week, which was a lot of fun. GOD LOVES US, GOD IS WITH US AND GOD IS FOR US! The kids really enjoyed it! We taught them how to play Bingo, did some word finds, pom-pom pullaway (freeze tag) and some other fun games. We also made them chocolate chip pancakes, actually we brought the stuff and taught them how! That was fun! Beyond that we have been able to love on these kids, hear their stories and learn from them.

For those of you know know anything about Kevin, you know that he loves food and loves to cook. He is obsessed with grocery shopping here! It is so funny. His mom taught him to sale shop, so he is having a great time with the exchange rate here. However, we realize that even though the groceries are relatively cheap for us, they cost the people of South Africa a lot and take a huge portion out of their monthly budgets. We continue to spend time with friends, usually have some kind of plans each night. We had about 30 people over to our place on Thursday night for an African dinner, which Patty's (a friend of ours) mom and sister-in-law cooked. Yummy!

That is all for now. We head to Cape Town in a few minutes to pick up my parents and sister. We are excited to be together with the whole family for the first time since August. However, we miss our family and friends back at home! Best wishes! Enjoy the snow!

A Bit Disconcerting

Life is South Africa becomes disconcerting as two worlds emerge in a collision of the mind. Wednesday brought us back to Kidstop. Us American's cooked pancakes (flapjacks) for 71 kids, I presented a message on Jonah, someone was stabbed right outside the shelter, Cassie provided arts and crafts and we enjoyed much laughter with the kids. Following our time at the drop in center we went with Laurie, Dean and Joel to an Afrikaner's house for some Christmas Carols. Venturing in the backyard viewing a beautiful pool, aesthetically placed in a garden--something from the Gatsby I thought. I asked someone how many homes in George have swimming pools? I was told that 90% do. I then asked how this was possible being that I did not see one pool in Thembalethu. Thembalethu is the biggest settlement of Blacks in George and contains a large conglomerate of tin, aluminum and wood pieced together. Cassie and I visited Boniswa there. She is a teen mom who recently met up with God and is seeking help for herself and her child, escaping the clutches of alcohol, drugs and abuse. I did not see one pool. Last night we ventured into a coulored township to visit friends Nico, Patty, Nicole, Ariana and our beautiful hosts, Daneel, Shaun and their new baby for some cheesecake and homemade Reese's, both a delicacy. We enjoyed conversation regarding racism here and in America and the social norms placed over society as people experience life.

So life is confusing. Christian people with three or four homes cling to apartheid viewing themselves as the majority. When an Afrikaner spoke to me about religion, asking me what I thought it meant to "delight in God." I spoke of caring for the widow, poor and orphaned. I am not sure that this is a part of many Afrikaner's view of scripture or of God. It seems that they are unable to recognize that many live without, as they live with much. Bringing the gospel message proves difficult as Cassie and I seek to know and meet our context. It was difficult to be asked questions about God's plans for people, relaying that God has a plan to bless and not to harm, to use these kids, to send them out to their own Nineveh's. This proved a challenge after they saw one of their own taken away by a careless death. What is or how is God's plan worked out for him, the person just stabbed. Evil is all around and the message must change to meet ears, yet it is still one message that remains the same!

We are here!

Well we are here and enjoying our time in South Africa. Since our arrival Cassie and I have enjoyed many opportunities. We arrived in George around midnight on Saturday--34 hours of travel. The flight went wonderfully well! God was very present. He used your prayers and some medication to really calm Cassie. The anxious thoughts that she did have were quickly destroyed. I have never enjoyed a flight with her before, but I can truly say that this one was a miracle! Thanks for your prayers! Arriving for our flight is another story. I was busy working on papers, planning to hand them in before we left. A little after midnight we left for Cassie's parents home seeing as they were going to bring us to the airport that morning. Cassie went to sleep and I continued writing until 4:30. We planned on playing racquetball before our flight, so everyone got up at 5. At the gym Cassie realized she forgot her ID. We played racquetball for 10 minutes and headed for out apartment in Saint Paul--at this point it was 5:40. Our flight was to leave at 8:20 and we were supposed to be there early for an international flight. However, with the unexpected difficulties, we would still be arriving almost 1 1/2 hours before our flight. Just miles from the airport, Cassie realized she had her old passport and not the current one. Suzy, pulled a U turn and flew back to the apartment, ran a couple of red lights and drove down a walking path. We ran into the building, Cassie could not open the door--the key would not work, she banged on the neighbors door as they had our spare key in order to water our plants, I realized Cassie had the right key in the wrong lock, opened the door, Cassie grabbed her passport and we were off. Arriving at the airport, around 7:40 for our 8:20 international flight went exceptionally well. We were seated waiting for our flight with plenty of time to spare! Sunday morning we attended church, the most lively service I have ever attended. Since then we have spent much time reconnecting with many of Cassie's friends from her first visit. We enjoyed a "homecoming" braii (South Africa Barbecue) went to the beach, made some voet coek (fat cakes) and visited with some of the most beautiful people--which I am sure you will hear plenty more about in the future. Yesterday we worked at Kidstop--a drop in center for youth who are either homeless, orphaned or lack a home life which can provide for them. The time was difficult, surrounded by extreme poverty and beautiful young faces. Cassie recognized a few of the kids and immediately began chatting with them, surrounded as they braided her hair. I think she may already have ring worm:) I got to play soccer with the boys and we both gave countless back rubs and helped with meal preparation--the amount of love that can be conveyed without verbal communication is amazing. We both look forward to the time we will be able to spend meeting and loving these young children. Today we spent some time at Options, sorting out baby clothes for the Grace Network Christmas party (single mother's support group) on Sunday. After wards, we went with Mukwonga (a HIV/AIDS staff person at Options) to speak with a leadership group of teens about HIV/AIDS. He facilitated a couple of interactive games and discussions with them. One of them included the kids receiving a laminated piece of paper with different scenarios on them, including "tending an open wound," "having sex without a condom," "being bitten by a mosquito," etc. The teens were asked to place each of their scenarios under the appropriate category labeled "High Risk," "Risky," "Low Risk," or "No Risk" on the likelihood of HIV/AIDS transmission. It was amazing to see where some of these scenarios were placed, "tending to an open wound" was placed at "no risk." We were able to discuss these misconceptions and really have these kids learn about how HIV/AIDS can be transmitted. Another facilitated conversation included the teens writing down one word that came to mind when they heard the phrase "HIV/AIDS." There was quite a variety of words that were mentioned from "despair" and "death" to "hope" and "life." One word that was written down was "African." This created an interesting conversation and Cassie was able to speak to the teens about this. We discussed the fact that yes, AIDS is very prevalent in Africa (I believe it is 80% of the worlds HIV/AIDS rate), however the rest of the world - including America is affected. She also shared that Americans are becoming more aware and passionate about fighting against AIDS, that we want to build a united front with Africans and the rest of the world to combat this disease. It is preventable, we just need to learn to facts and have the resources to work against it! So far, so good - we hope that you are doing well! Enjoy the snow, for those of you who are currently being blessed with it!