Fundraising Update & My Future Home

God's proved Himself to be very faithful and an amazing provider! After just around 3 weeks from sending out my letters $1,300 has come it! I'm astounded, but in a sense I really shouldn't be because I know that God is in control and will provide for me!

As you all know I will be traveling around South Africa while I'm there, but our homebase is located on a game farm called Shikwaru in the North-Eastern part of South Africa, in the Limpopo region. Our lodge is on the property of a ministry partner who runs the game farm. It's a beautiful place from what I hear; the picture is from the Limpopo region. The weather in that region is very mild as well; the summer ranges from about 82 to 62 degrees F, and the winter ranges from 66 to 40 degrees F, a definite improvement from the crazy weather I'm used to in Kansas!

Thanks you for your prayers and support, and please continue to keep me in your prayers, without them this journey can not be a success!

Update & Info on South Africa

So far God's been faithful to provide! With some money that I received prior to sending out my letters and since then I've gotten $500! This is a good start, and I know it's only going to keep on coming because God is in control, not me; He had to teach me that this last week. I was pretty much trying to figure out how on earth I could do raise $12,000, and I realized I can't, but He can!

I also want to give you some quick info and some history about South Africa.

History:
After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch setters (the Boers) traveled north to found their won republics. The discovery of diamonds in 1867 and gold in 1886 spurred on wealth and immigrations and intensified subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British resisted British encroachments but were defeated by them in the Boer War that lasted from 1899 to 1902. The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid- the separate development of the races. The 1990's brought an end the the apartheid politically and ushered in a black majority rule.

General Info:
The population is about bout 44,000,000, with the average life expectancy of about 43 years of age. There are 3 main ethnic groups in SA, black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, and Indian/Asian 2.5%. They speak many African languages, but English is also widely spoken. AIDS is a huge issue in South Africa! Nealy 20% of all the adults (about 5 million people) are infected, and it is much more prevalent among the black population. With so many adults dieing from AIDS there is an increasing number of "AIDS Orphans". These children in many cases are dependent on the state for care and financial support. Also in many cases, older siblings will become responsible for taking care of their younger brothers and sisters. It's estimated that there are about 1,200,000 Aids Orphans in SA.

As you can see from a quick bit of info, SA is in desperate need of a Savior that can bring them eternal hope, and that's what I'm going there to do. To spread the good news and let them know that there is something worth living for, and that Christ died to forgive them of their sins... This trip isn't about me going to SA, isn't about me doing presentations, isn't about me period! It's about saving the lost, giving them something to hope for, and bringing them into the Kingdom of God!

How You Can Help

I'm happy to report that my letters were sent today! It seems like it's taken forever to get here, but I know God is faithful and will provide for me!

Here is a little bit more information about how I learned about OneHope and how you can support me.

Over Christmas break I went to a conference called The World Missions Summit, as the name hints to, its all about missions. It was a great experience and it was there that I answered the call to give a year of my life to missions. At the conference is where I learned about OneHope and all the opportunities they have. One of the trips they do are Nomad team trips. Nomads focus on a country and travel in that region. In my case of South Africa, I will travel all over South Africa and possibly to surrounding countries such as Swaziland and Namibia. While I'm in SA I will be doing the traditional type of OneHope ministry in the schools, as well as doing some special soccer camps since the World Cup will be in SA in 2010.

In order for me to go on this journey that God has set before me I will need to raise about $12,0o0. Checks written to OneHope with my name in the memo line are tax deductable. You can send contributions to:

Paul Cook
1560-205th Street
Fort Scott, KS 66701

I will be leaving in late January of 2010 and returning in early December of 2010. I need $4,000 by this October, $4,000 more by November, and the final $4,000 by December. If you'd like to send my monthly support for the remainder of this year please indicate that with a note along with your contribution... More important than monetary support is pray support! Please continue to pray for me that God will use me and the Nomad team in an awesome way, that the kids we minister to will have open/receptive hearts for His love, and please also pray for financial support for this trip.

If you're curious about OneHope check out their web-site at onehope.net

I think that's it for now, I will keep you updated on my fund raising and let you all know some more general information about the country of SA!