FIFA 2010 World Cup South Africa starting in 7 days..

AND WE'RE READY FOR IT!

We've a lot of plans to make the most of this time in the way of reaching all the millions (figurative, not literal) who will come down here w/ inspiration & a message of God's Love.

Apart from that, we'll also be coordinating projects w/ other volunteer orginisations who will solicit help from overseas volunteers to conduct projects to help the needy here in Africa, taking advantage of some of the manpower from outside the country during the World Cup month.

Stay tuned for regular project updates conducted by TFI (The Family International) in the Gauteng area & throughout SA.

Lately...

..The measles has been going around Gauteng, (all of SA, actually) & I'm so glad I had it when I was little..

..Helping conduct the XD seminar was a truly enjoyable experience..

..Solidifying plans on 3 new projects to do w/ the World Cup that will be conducted from the 11th of June, till the 15th of July...

..The SCM (Student Christian Movement) started by Phoebe & Simon has been growing & going extremely well...Reaching those kids in that township high school is a top thrill (personally, at least)...

..I've started working out again after a 4 week break (2 wks Bronchy, 2 wks XD)..

So there's an end to a month-long silence..

What's up w/ u?

Happy B'day Mom!

May you have all the love, fun, joy, happiness, attention, gifts, spoiling, laughs, etc. that you deserve on this special day, as well as everything you've asked of the Lord this coming year..

You're so special to me & to millions of others & I wish I could've been there to celebrate w/ you..

Enjoy it & know that my prayers are w/ you every day for the year ahead..

Happy Birthday!

--Your son

P.S. & remember: If their are so many candles that you can no longer see the cake...you know you're getting old...;) LY!

Another dry spell...

It's been weeks since this page was updated..

I'm gonna have to stop permanantly blaming bad internet connections & find a better solution..

But in case you're not on my FB list, I'll have you know that I have been down w/ a major case of Bronchitis that I contracted via my lungs being severely chilled on 2 nights on a bus (up from Livingstone (after I went to Vic Falls), then again down to Jo'berg from Lusaka the following night)..

But I'm on the up & up...lots of ppl have been praying for me & I've seen a doctor who put me on a STRONG antibiotic..

so, TTL...God is good..all the time..

But I'll be around & have not forgotton my desire to share my life's "Adventures" w/ all of you..

Don't give up on me..yet...;)

Trip down...

Believe it or not, I'm still in Zam..

I know..6 weeks & counting...& I was only meant to be here for a month..(guess I'm only 2 wks overdue, in that case..)

It's been fun & I like Zambia a lot..

What's kept me here is that there's a chance that one of our missionaries will drive down to S.A. for business...the question is: When?? I've been expecting this trip to happen for approx. 2 weeks now..but it's delayed for one reason or another..

Seeing as prayer is uber-powerful, pls help me by praying for the following:

--That the Lord will supply the needed finances for the trip down

--That the other factors that the team here are waiting for to fall into place will (accomodation down there, appointments w/ associates, possible clients etc.).

--That I'll have wisdom in knowing if I should go back down early, or wait for the drive & cash in..

--(Unrelated, but hey) For my whole Nigeria timing to gel as well...that the Lord will show me when to go up now in light of the XD & all (happening in SA in May..I'll be helping w/ that)...that Rebecca will be patient in waiting for me & not be annoyed that I'm stalling & giving her random/unclear answers...(Sorry, Becks XO..).

TX guys! I need you!

The Wonder of Easter!

(Excerpted from Maria Fontaine's 2010 Easter message)

The Easter season is a wonderful opportunity for Christians everywhere to unite as we praise our living, risen Savior! I think that Pope John Paul II expressed the Christian perspective on the resurrection so well when he said, “We are the Easter people and ‘hallelujah’ is our song!”

Because He rose, I, too, shall rise,
Shall rise and walk and dance and sing;
And there shall be no grief, no pain,
Nor any tears, remembering!
—Martha Snell Nicholson

Easter represents all that our salvation is (John 11:25–26).—And THAT’S worth celebrating! Easter stands for everything that has been and forever will be possible in our resurrection-empowered lives. It represents:

• Freedom from condemnation of past mistakes and failures (Rom.8:1).
• Liberation from fear of death (Heb.2:14–15).
• The guarantee of hope for an eternal future in a Home that Jesus has gone to prepare for us (John 14:2–3).
• An alternative to the temporal, sin-laden, suffering-plagued existence of this world (John 16:33).
• The opening of the door of Heaven to us.
• The blind given sight (1Pet.2:9; John 9:25).
• Common men and women becoming kings and queens (Rev.5:9–10).
• The drowning man rescued.
• The brand snatched from the burning (Zec.3:2).
• The power to preach good tidings, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isa.61:1,3).
• The paralyzed becoming mobile (Mat.11:5).
• The earth coming to life in the spring.
• The knowledge that man can live forever (1John 2:17).
• A demonstration that anything wonderful can happen when all hope seems gone.
• Complete forgiveness (Isa.1:18).
• Freedom from the law of death (Rom.8:2).
• The truth let loose in the world (John 1:17).
• The sting taken out of death (1Cor.15:55).
• The guarantee that there are no illnesses nor pain in Heaven (Rev.21:4).
• The promise of eternal life with our loved ones (Acts 16:31).
• The assurance of a glorious future, no matter how bad the world gets.
• The power to conquer all impossibilities (Luke 1:37).
• Divine healing power (Mark 16:17–18).
• A way of life, not just a religion or a ritual (John 10:10).
• The Gladys Aylwards of the world cradling abandoned babies in their arms.
• Powerful prayer ministries like those of Sophie the Washerwoman.
• Jesus' ambassadors all over the world undergoing severe afflictions and struggles, but continuing steadfast in their missions in poverty-stricken and war-torn countries.
• Those short on finances, welcoming the destitute into their homes and lovingly sharing their limited resources with them.

He Who was the Spirit of Love and the Spirit of Life was destroyed in the flesh, but His Spirit could not be destroyed (Luke 23:46; 1Pet.3:18). What was destroyed for all who turn to Jesus was the power of sin and death, the spirit of the world, and those spiritual forces bound to them. Their power was broken and conquered by Christ for any who would receive His gift of sacrificial love. These forces of Satan no longer have any power or authority over His children beyond what Jesus allows for a purpose: to teach us and strengthen us, to cause our witness to shine even brighter, and to draw us closer to Him.
What Jesus did through His death and resurrection to bring us salvation is something so very mysterious and beyond our human comprehension that we won’t be able to fully understand it until we’re liberated from the realm of the flesh into the spirit—and maybe not even then. However, every time we reflect on what Jesus did for each one of us—and for all of us—it renews our sense of reverence and awe.

Happy Easter, everybody!


--Brian Whyte

30!

Well, it's a new decade! Hallelujah! During the days & weeks preceding this B'day, when thinking about the future, I had reservations..turning 30..Change Journey..still single (as in, unmarried)..

In light of the past decade of thrills/adventures/lives changed (mostly mine), etc. I wondered how the coming years could compare & I wondered if the best part of my life is really already done..

But man, is the fun just beginning..The Lord has been speaking to me via different sources (The Word, my loved ones) @ the possiblities the future holds..I'm pumped w/ ideas & I know that Change is gonna be THE adjective in my life this year & all the ideas that I have, if coupled w/ faith & God's power, WILL result (And if I was in Nigeria, I'd add: "IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JE-SUS!!).

But besides that, even just on account of the past & what I have in my life today, I have every cause to be happy.

Then on top of that, I received 70+ B'day greetings via Facebook, e-mail & phone this year..I was elated & felt, quite frankly, honored...

Thank you, God, for my family & my friends...Each of you mean the world to me..Yes, already at 30, I've lived a full & productive life. If I died today, I'd die happy. ;)Below are 2 of my favorite B'day greetings this year:

"Glad you are my son :) So nice to talk to you today Brian. And once more a very Happy Birthday. The sky is the limit this coming year, so let's go and get some piece of sky!! You can do it."

Guess who that was from?--Obviously my Mom..

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN! I PRAY THAT YOU HAD A TRULY BLESSED DAY!
You are such a wonderful young man, and we are so proud of you and love you very much.
We look forward to seeing you whenever you are able to visit. In the meantime, know that you are
in our prayers every day.

GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE!!!

Love, Hugs, and Kisses and many many blessings!
Auntie Darice, Uncle Julius, Stacie, Teri, and Julius Jr."

Kidnapped!

In urgent need of prayer right now are 2 of my friends, Simon & Ikumi, currently in south of Nigeria. They've been taken hostage by who I do not know, but I know that they're in potentially huge danger. However I do have faith that the Lord will deliver them. I need all of you to join me in immediate & desperate prayer for ther safe & speedy deliverance.

I can only imagine the anguish & emotional turmoil that both of their families have undergone are currently undergoing.

I'm not sure all the politics involved, but I know that various militia groups have been operating in the Delta region of Nigeria where all the oil rigs are situated, targeting oil workers and or their loved ones as potential avenues of high high ransoms. At it's highest point, which I believe was late 2007, all foreign oil workers were evacuated from the country. Although the situation subsided somewhat, kidnappings have continued to occur since & the majority of both oil workers & expatriate workers in general in the Port Harcourt area usually travel w/ an or several armed escorts..

I know that the Family is conducting a large-scale medical camp in this area (as of today) & my guess is that Simon & Ikumi were somewhere in the interior driving between one place & another to do w/ the camp (possibly between the hotel & the camp site, or collecting supplies from somewhere) & either forgot to or didn't think to bring an armed escort & were accosted. These kidnappings usually occur at night. Whether or not this was the case this time, I'm not sure.

In any case, I know that prayer is the most powerful weapon we have.I pretty much have prayed for these 2 non-stop since getting this news, w/ a concentrated hour-long vigil held from 10:30-11:30 p.m. last night, & am also doing a 24-hour fast, which began from the moment I heard the news yesterday evening. If any of you out there do any of the above mentioned prayer methods, I know this will
help bring about their speedy release..

As I was praying I claimed many of the Psalms of David which I read throughout my prayer vigil. Psalm 17 in particular came alive in this situation, which reads:

1 Hear a just cause, O Lord,
Attend to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer wichi si not from decietful lips.

2 Let my vindication come from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.

4 Concerning the works of men,
By the word of Your lips,
I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.

5 Uphold my steps in Your paths,
That my footsteps may not slip.

6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me,
O God;
Incline Your ear to em ,and hear my sppech.

7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,
O You who save those who trust in You
From those who rise up agains them.

8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,

9 From the wicked who oppress me,
From my deadly enemies who surround me.

11 They have surrounded us now in our steps;
They have set their eyes, crouching down to the eart,

13 Arise, O Lord,
Confront him, cast him down;
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,

14 With Your hand from men, O Lord,
From men of the world who have their portion in this life...

15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.--Psalm 17, NKJV

Thank you, everyone for praying..

In an unrelated note: It's my 30th Birthday today!

Zam so far!

March 12th is Zambia’s national Youth Day. Our Lusaka team took the opportunity to hit the University with our song/drama combo to inspire & motivate any & all available “youths”…I was invited to participate..

The concept originally drawn-up by Simon who came here a couple weeks back with another team of young people who performed several skits including “Everything” & “The Four Horsemen”. Since I’m up here a couple weeks, we decided to carry on in the drama “vein” & a few of us copied a version we’d seen on video.
Although we didn’t have a huge audience (lot of ppl gone home for the holiday) It was definitely fun & something new & different for a lot of the 12 FS & Active members here..

Apart from performing dramas, Zambia has had its other sides of Adventure, w/ painting galore (house is getting a facelift), music & guitar lessons, conducting Bible studies, giving Menina English lessons, & some First Aid & GED studies thrown in there in my spare time (which I have surprisingly more of compared to in S.A.). Hoping the productivity continues..Pics to follow (once I’ve stacked up a bunch).

Zim/Zam...

Hardly any Zim, really, but there was ring to the title (wasn't there?)..

I've been in Zambia @ 5 days now & will be here the rest of the month..

It's a loooooooooong story, but bascially my Nigerian visa didn't come through on time & I had already had an extension on my S.A. visa, so I wasn't able to extend it again w/out leaving the country, so...voila..here I am..

Spending a couple weeks with the team here & so far it's great..

The bus ride was long & grueling (albeit comfortable...confusing, I kno..)..we were 3 hours late in leaving (no, 4, actually..), and sat 5 hours at the Zim/Zam border waiting for "commercial goods" (of which none were mine, I assure you) to clear...

Anyways, it's been gr8 2 b back in my element--teaching 12 FS classes, meeting friends, exploring, learning about the local people, etc.

My current pryr/wish is to go Vic falls for my B'day...