South Africa Mission Adventure

Days 1-2

Depart to Africa, where you will make a nighttime arrival in Johannesburg, the capital of South Africa. Your group will head out to the mission base in Harrismith and gather for a brief orientation and team meeting before lights out.

Days 3-4

The next two days will be spent preparing your heart and mind for the upcoming ministry days. Each morning after breakfast, you will have quiet times and team devotions. Later, the group will participate in team building activities and spend some time training for evangelism, children's clubs and other ministry opportunities. There will be time to learn about the culture of South Africa so you can understand the people you are serving, and you will want to gather as much knowledge and understanding as possible to assist you in evangelism and mission activities throughout the week.

Days 5-9

Each ministry day will begin with personal quiet time and team devotions, after which you will head out for the day to share the love of Christ through a variety of ministry opportunities. You will focus on Relationship Evangelism by building friendships through conversation and helping with household chores, and you might choose to help plant a garden for each family as a tangible reminder of God's love and care for them. Teams will participate in Children's Ministry, allowing you to spend time with local children and teach them the Word of God through songs, stories, games and other activities. You might find yourself participating in a Building Project* where you will have the opportunity to assist with construction either on the base or in a local village. In the past, this has included building a playground for disabled children as well as basic maintenance around the camp. You may have opportunities to minister in local prisons and hospitals, where you could sing, present dramatic skits, share testimonies and spend time in one-on-one relationship building. The opportunities are myriad for you to share your faith and the love of Christ. At the conclusion of each day, you will return to base camp for dinner and devotions.
*Teams will fund any particular projects in which they desire to be involved.

Day 10

Your next few days will be spent experiencing the sights that make Africa such a unique country. Following breakfast on this first day, your group will journey to the Lion Park, where you will have the opportunity to go on a game drive and see prides of lions and such spectacular creatures as zebra, giraffe, black wildebeest, cheetahs and hyenas. You will even have a chance to get up close and personal with lion cubs and perhaps even feed them! After this extraordinary adventure, the group will return to base camp for evening devotions.

Day 11

This morning you will pack up and depart for Johannesburg, stopping for lunch at Carnivore, where you can enjoy an assortment of meats grilled over a fire pit in the middle of the restaurant. There are many different varieties to try, and you might want to be adventurous and sample something like wildebeest, giraffe, elephant, hippo or warthog. After lunch, the group will head to a safari lodge, where you will spend the night. Before settling in, there will be a chance for another game drive to see more of Africa's unique wildlife.

Day 12

On your final day in Africa, you will set out early for another safari ride in hopes of catching glimpse of even more animals in the cool of the morning. Following breakfast, the group will depart for Johannesburg, making a quick stop for lunch and shopping in a traditional African market. Your flight back home will depart in the evening.

Day 13

You will arrive back in the States after a fulfilling week of ministry and an unparalleled experience.