Cross Cultural Project 2009

2009-06-15T09:08:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone!
Once again, there's so much to say and not enough time to say it all! So much has been going on, and I fear not being able to do justice with my words what all I have learned and experienced.

I've enjoyed meeting with girls one on one. Katie and I have really been able to have meaningful conversations with some of the girls. I really see the need for the CCP to be here. The Lord is using us to encourage and challenge the Christians and to share the gospel with unbelievers. I've been able to learn a ton while being here. I really see how crucial discipleship is. So many of these girls have been exposed to Christianity but haven't really heard the gospel or know how to grow in their faith. I'm excited to be able to be a part of this process.

This weekend was absolutely incredible! On Friday night, we had the Christians that we can see becoming leaders in each res (dorm) over to our house. The Christians in each res have been feeling disconnected from the Christians in the other resses so we wanted to bring them together and talk about leadership and discipleship.We had some dessert then talked about leadership and unity. 2 of the girls on CCP (Caitlin and Meredith) explained how much impact they, as South Africans, can have on the entire continent. Then 2 of the other girls led everyone in share time where each other girl said the name of a women who has influneced their walk with the Lord and why. It was incredible to hear around 30 girls talk about how someone had invested in them and encouraged them in their relationships with the Lord. I then read from 1 Thessalonians 2:8 which states, "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us." We talked about how we normally share clothes and music, but challenged the girls to share their lives - their joys and struggles and the thing that gives them life - the Gospel. 2 of the other CCP girls then talked about how we often view discipleship as a task or something we ought to do but then talked about why we actually disciple others and how we go about doing that. We ended that time in prayer and then had some more time to dance, play games, and just get to know each other more. I uploaded some pictures of that night.

The next day we went to Soweto. The team was split in 2 groups with each group going to a home of a student involved with Campus Outreach at the University of Johannesburg. Pictures truly cannot capture what all we saw and experienced. We passed shacks, run-down businesses and factories, and many people walking along and in the streets.The homes barely have space, if any space, between them. It was an eye-opener. The traffic there was ridiculous! It was as if there were no driving rules. Cars would squeeze by in the closest of spots and many cars would drive on the shoulder of the highway and treat it like a lane. At one point, we were in a stand-still after an intersection and a guy in the front of one of our cars decided to go in reverse when in the middle of the road without looking behind him. He ran into our car. It only scratched our car, but his bumper fell off. We and the guy, Samuel, had to go to the police station to file a police report for our car rental company. Keith, the driver of our car, and Samuel had to fill out the police report even though the form was clearly designed for an officer to fill out. They then needed an officer to sign it but had a hard time finding one that was willing to sign it because it obligated that officer to do some follow-up work. That experience really showed us what it's like here and what the people have to put up with. It certainly didn't help that there were not enough traffic lights and many of those that were there were not working. Traffic lights often stop working here. The city is growing faster than the infrastructure can handle.

I'm so thankful to be here and appreciate all of the support! Please check out pictures at http://s691.photobucket.com/albums/vv278/k3j/CCP/?albumview=slideshow. These pictures and this update can't express how much I've learned and been challenged and how much God is moving both in me and in these students. Please be praying for our next 2 weeks on campus. The time is going fast, and I feel like there is still so much more that needs to be done with these students. Please pray that the team will trust the Lord with everyone that goes on with the students and that we will look to Him for strength to be faithful servants.

Thank you again!!
Kimberly Johnson

We're here!!

2009-05-21T08:21:00.001-04:00

Hey there! (Or Howzit, as they say here)

We arrived Tuesday evening after a 19 hour plane trip. We were met at the airport by some of the students and staff involved with Campus Outreach here in Johannesburg (JoBurg). The students and staff here have been so accommodating and willing to help us get adjusted.
This first week we’ve been doing orientation. We’ve learned some of the lingo/vocab. That has been very entertaining. We also learned more about the religious climate at the University of Johannesburg-Kingsway campus. Wednesday, we went to a braai after orientation. A braai is a cook-out. We went to a home where a lot of the Campus Outreach Johannesburg (known as COJ) student-leaders were at and ate vorrs (a type of sausage) and this African sauce that has a really cool name that I can’t remember. We talked with the students were a while. I had such a blast getting to know them. The South Africans are very inviting, energetic, and enthusiastic people. After hanging out and eating our vorrs, we sang praise and worship songs together. It was incredible to sing and pray to the same God with students on the other side of the world. After singing some songs that both the Americans and the South Africans knew, the South Africans started singing and dancing to worship songs in Zulu and other languages. That was awesome!! I hope I can upload a video of that experience so that you all can see what I’m talking about.

We went into the res (dorm) for the first time on Friday afternoon to hang out with some students. Katie Clark (my ministry partner) and I will be getting to know girls in Kruinsig, one of the girls residence halls. We hung out with a first-year student that we had met a few days earlier when we got a tour of the campus. Her name is LoLo.She introduced us to some of her friends and we hung out with them. I’m looking forward to getting to know more first year students and enter into spiritual conversations with them.

Yesterday at church, Katie and I met Thami, one of the student-leaders involved in Campus Outreach who lived in Kruinsig. Thami is leading 4 girls in a bible study who also live in Kruinsig, and one of those girls is leading some other girls in a bible study. Katie and I will be spending a lot of time with these student-leaders to encourage them and help build up their ministries.

Here is just a little flavor of our time here thus far. I feel like I have so much to say, but unfortunately I do not have the time to type up everything. I’m so thankful to be here, and I really see the need for Jesus Christ and the Cross Cultural Project here. I’m so very appreciative of the financial support and prayers that each of you has contributed. We pray often for our supporters because you all are an integral part of this Cross Cultural Project team. Soon there will be a couple pictures of some of the team members, the guest house we are staying at, and the Apartheid Museum we visited on Saturday.

Thank you again for all of your support and prayers,
Kimberly Johnson

God's Provision & South Africa's Elections

2009-04-24T13:47:00.004-04:00

Hey there! I'm thrilled to proclaim God's goodness and provision! So far, I've received about $500 MORE than I needed to reach my financial support "quota." Praise God and God alone for that! I'm so grateful and humbled by God's faithfulness. I am weak and quick to doubt, but that does not change the powerful nature of Jesus Christ. It's been so neat to see God's power and the body of His believers uniting together. I've been really encouraged by the number of people that are excited and in support of the Cross Cultural Project's mission. I trust that God will continue to be glorified through the way that He provides for the entire CCP team. Our team as a whole still needs a lot of funds to come in. I'd appreciate your continued prayers that God's will will be done.

Yesterday, the voting for South Africa's new president began. The results of the election will be announced on Saturday. Please be praying for guidance and wisdom for the people of South Africa as they vote. They need wise leadership. At our last retreat on Saturday, we (the CCP team) learned about the candidates. Both South Africa's presidential election and the United States' election are going to be topics that the students will want to talk about. I believe these conversations will lead us more quickly into deeper conversations about our core values and beliefs. I truly believe that this is such a prime time to go to South Africa and engage these students. I encourage to learn more about the elections. It really is interesting! You can go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/africa/2009/south_africa/default.stm.

I do have finals to take before we leave, so I need to go study.

Thanks for reading the blog! I appreciate your support and prayers!!
Kimberly

Chick-Fil-A & CCP!

2009-03-18T17:01:00.007-04:00

One of my sorority sisters told me about a fundraiser that her high school swim team did with Chick-Fil-A and encouraged me to see if I could do the same thing for the CCP.

So I contacted the Chick-Fil-A Operator of the Howell Mill Chick-Fil-A. Now people can go eat yummy Chick-Fil-A food and help support the CCP go and develop leaders in South Africa! If you're in the Tech area and would like to participate, here's the details:

When? Friday March 27th. 11:30AM - 10PM.
Where? Chick-Fil-A on Howell Mill Rd. 1942 Howell Mill Road Atlanta, GA
Just mention CCP when you order your meal. The CCP gets some of the proceeds of all the orders that are associated with the CCP.

Invite friends to this through the facebook event! http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=56030999662&ref=nf
Thanks so much! This is a neat opportunity.

How I got here

2009-01-31T11:36:00.013-05:00

I first found out about the CCP this summer. I thought it sounded really cool and nice and all, but was skeptical...as usual. I thought it would be a better use of people's funds to send a team where people have never heard about Jesus. I asked the Campus Director about this. After he explained the reasoning, I felt comfortable with this approach. Little did I know that this was just one of many questions I would have about the CCP.

Several months ago, I was asked to pray about going to South Africa. I knew going on the CCP would be a "good" thing to do, but wasn't sure if it was what God wanted me to. Also, I wondered if it was wise to ask others to contribute towards this project right now given the economy. I wasn't sure if it even passed the "common sense test." He made it clear to me, though, that He did not want me to close this door. He told me clearly that He sees the big picture and should be the one to decide where He puts His funds and towards what causes. He's shown me how the CCP's mission is biblical and that He is the same God when times are good and bad and that the principles He teaches in the Bible apply during all types of circumstances.

I also wondered, given all the mission trips out there, if this is the one I should go on. Now, I'm soo excited about this particular trip. I love the strategy behind this project. The goal is not just to influence some students at a college in a foreign country; it is to influence a hurting continent. The students we will be reaching are in a position where they can be the movers and shakers. They are the ones that are getting a college education in the country that provides the best education in Africa.

I'm excited to see what else God teaches me during this whole experience. I've been really humbled as I see how quick I am to depend on myself/my plan/my strategy. Though I've heard this verse a million times, it continues to both challenge and encourage me. 1 Peter 5:6-7 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."