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!