Home !!!

Happy (late)thanksgiving to everyone! It is good to be home with friends and family and I have enjoyed catching up with everyone. It has been interesting getting used to life in America but I am excited to see what God has in store in the months ahead. Leaving Africa broke my heart knowing that there is still so much work to be done there, but I have constantly been reassured of the work God is continuing to do there. In the last months we had the wonderful opportunity to work with some young men and women who have a passion to see God transform their communities. We met Jacob, Innocent , Samuel and Lawrence and they worked with us in the schools and we had encouraged them to continue being involved in the schools and working with the youth in their churches. Our team also had a youth conference in which we spoke to the youth of several churches that God has called each of them to be missionaries in their community. It was wonderful to give some practical examples and share how God has changed our lives and perspectives. As my time has come to an end in South Africa I know that God is bringing up incredible people to carry on in bringing God’s extravagant love to hurting people across Africa. Prayer is such a critical part in bringing change to southern Africa and I ask that you join me in continuing to pray.
Some Specific things to pray for:
* Children, youth and families
* Local Church Pastors
* Reaching a Generation staff
* Continuing work in Zimbabwe
* Community transformation projects in
Mapela ,Mawhelerang ,Tshamahanzi
* Healing for the broken lives affected by HIV , poverty and political past.
* That God’s name be known and Praised

Thank You all for everything over the past months, your role was crucial. I cannot be thankful enough to have a wonderful group of people supporting me and praying over the needs that were ahead of us. May God Bless you all!!!

Dear Friends
Today marks the final month of my time here in this wonderful country. It seems that just yesterday I was writing about my first month’s experiences. Time has truly flown by, and I feel that it increasingly goes by faster. These past few weeks have been filled with many wonderful moments that have captured my heart and shown me more of our great God. Thank you for letting me share some of them with you.
Leadership Academy
A few weeks ago we had our third Leadership Academy. I love the vision of the Academy and it was wonderful to be a part of equipping over thirty young students with leadership skills as well as discussing worldviews and biblical values. This camp we had nine returning second year learners as well as twenty two first year students. The first year camp was trained specifically in running a community transformation project and the second year students learned how to run a week long, Kid’s Game event in their community. The students planned several projects to help in Moshati,a local community. These projects varied from helping clean gardens, helping the elderly with housework to cleaning up a school yard. The community came along side everyone involved, and eagerly help with all different tasks. It warmed my heart to see this take place. We aren’t in this to teach kids how to pick up trash but to show them that they can be part of bringing change to their country. One other moving moment was with this young boy named Laster. He is an incredibly enthusiastic student who had quite a passionate heart for those around him. After we were done with the project he was leading, he said that we must pray for the family that we helped. His prayer was filled with genuine pleas to God that he would look after this family and provide for them after we left. It was great to see his thoughts about God change and form into a Godly leader as the week progressed. One final moment I want to share about is two boys named Karabo and Trevor .Since the department of Education funds this program we are somewhat limited to what we can share about becoming a Christian but we take every opportunity as a God given chance to speak truth into these young lives. John 8:32 says, You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Such extraordinary reality!!! During a discussion in their small group session, they began to ask about what had been said throughout the week about being a Christian and after a long conversation with their leader they said that without a doubt they wanted to be followers of Christ and in that moment two more children were born into God’s Kingdom. Praise Him!!!
After School Programs
This past week we started our after school programs in Mapela, Mawhelerang and Moshati. Through our relationships with these schools ,they have agreed to let us come in after classes release and spend some time with the students .We have developed our program to be taught from the book of hope that all the children have received to reinforce the God’s powerful message contained in every page. After the first week we have seen the areas we needed to improve upon and are excited to see what this week holds. One thing that we know and trust is that power is in the seed and not the sewer. Our prayer is that we are simply tools that God uses to reveal His love, His amazing love to the kids in every classroom we enter. I ask that you would pray with us for every student and teacher we have the opportunity to talk with and that the love of Jesus would just permeate through everything we do.

What an incredible God we serve and for Him I want to risk it all. My constant prayer is that He will ruin me, through all I learn about Him and my experiences, for anything but serving Him with all my life. May God be with you all this week and may we always be aware of the different ways he makes Himself know to us this week.
-All my love Annette Morlando

Wow month seven is here and with it has come the beginning of our spring semester …or is it fall ???. Sometimes I forget that I am in Africa and it truly feels like home. With my time here coming closer to an end I wonder what God has next. One thing that I have been learning is that God is far less concerned with what I do for Him. He wants me and my relationship with him to grow. I feel that in turn when we walk closely with God that we cannot help but want to love everyone around us. With that said I am excited for whatever the next step God has for me is and I eagerly await His continued guidance.
The past few weeks we have spent time on the farm in Mokopane preparing for our new ministry. We have four schools in our local communities that have the opportunity to work closer with over the next few months. We are simply trying to show Jesus to some of the children who have received the Book of Hope and build on the relationships God has given us. Please pray for guidance and openness as we begin this.
As we have started this we encountered some opposition. For a few weeks there was a public servant strike across South Africa which in turn closed the schools. Since there was no school many children were left at home with nothing to do. After some prayer we decided to start a new program for mothers, grandparents and older youth who were out of work. The idea of the new program , 17 stories, is that we teach children stories so that they can understand the truth of God in their lives and so that they can retell the stories to their family and friends. After the trainings we had this week I am very excited to see what God is going to do in Mawhelerang and Tzshamahanzi.
We have another opportunity ahead of this week to work in a community about three hours outside of Mokopane. This area has been scared by hatred and corruption. Please pray for God’s healing love to move in incredible ways that it will bring transformation that is undeniably Him. Im so thankful the chance to be apart of what God is doing here.My prayer is that I am more and more aware of what God is doing around me and that I will be ready for what He asks of me.
I am always excited to tell people of how God has provided for me to stay here. He has cared for all my spiritual , emotional and financial needs in bigger ways than I could have imagined .I know that he has used all of you as a part of that. I am forever thankful for your kindness and I pray that God will bless you all.
Lots of Love from Africa
-Annette

Dear friends
I cannot say thank you enough for your continued prayers. This week we are working in Mapel, a rural community about 45 min outside of Mokopane. There around 34 villages within Mapela and many have maintained a traditional lifestyle. This community is being adopted by a church in Massachusetts who will partner with the local church over the next 3 or 4 years to help bring change and influence others to continue the change in Mapela. We have done some survey work the area and it is event that there is a spiritual oppression there. As I compiling the survey information in a report for the church from Massachusetts I was burdened with how much the people of Mapela need Jesus. Some of the things that the research has shown is that there is an 80% unemployment rate and that there is a increasing problem with alcoholism and teen pregnancy. There is also an attack against families in Mapela as well. Many parents leave the area to work in bigger cities and come back once a month or send money home. Many who we surveyed said that there is little or often times no parental involvement. Many still believe in the power of witch doctors and in ancestral worship. There is also a problem with the education system. The schools in Mapela have scored the lowest in their district and there is an incredibly high dropout rate. The school circuit manager asked that Reaching a Generation come and help bring change in the schools and community. With this said I know that there is power in prayer and I ask that you pray for breakthroughs in the hearts of people in Mapela and against the hold that Satan is trying to have there. We will be doing soccer camps this week and I know that our God is powerful and that his heart is broken for the people of Mapela.I have seen God move and I believethat his love will not relent. Thank you for your part in bringing change in Africa.

Hello Friends
The third week of soccer camps is finished. The excitement in South Africa is indescribable as the world cup continues. We have changed our soccer camps slightly for the area we are working in and the results have been great. We have seen a change in the children’s attitudes and behavior towards us and the message we have for them due to the adaptations made. We have had some incredible, God designed conversations with children that have shown us more that Satan does not want us here. There were three young boys who told us about some if the issues they daily deal with .One of the harsh realities is the drug and alcohol use at a young age (some as young as grade 4). They told us that this is encouraged their living situations and by many of the men in the area. One of the things that we have discovered is that there are often times eight or more people living in a one room house. Due to this many children are exposed to things at an earlier age. We can be assured that our God is supreme and knows every need .I ask that you join me in praying for the children of Phagameng and that He will put people in our path who we can speak truth into their lives .
One of our prayers is that by what we do here in Phagameng reaches out to everyone we are in contact with. This week I had a man come by the stadium and asked what was happening inside. I told him about the camps and what we were teaching the children. He then said… “Tell me about your Jesus”. It’s so incredible to see God move!!! We have also gotten a chance to talk with the workers at the stadium and they have been very interested in what we have to say about Jesus and how is everything to us and the reason why we’re here. We pray that we will be alert to the opportunities God puts before us.
This past Sunday we were able to hear the Founder of One Hope speak at a church in Pretoria(an hour outside of Johannesburg).It was so encouraging to hear about the amazing things that God has done through his willing heart and passion for the lost and hurting in the world. One of the things he said was it is not the speaker but the message that changes lives( and how true it is)!
As I am writing this I am listening to the song yearn by Shane and Shane. The words are …Lord I want to yearn for you I want to burn with passion over you and only you. This is inspired from Acts 17:25-28. I love the last two verses in which is says that we will seek after God and reach out for Him for in we live and move. Since I’ve been here I’ve been asked numerous times about what my plans are after this year is up. The first few times I responded by saying that I was done making any plans for now but God has continued to work on my heart and I my only desire is to spend my life loving Jesus and wherever that takes me I’m ready for. I look forward to all that God has ahead. Thank you for all your prayers, encouragement and financial support on this journey .
Please let me know if there is any way that I can pray for you. I love and Miss you all.

A constant change of perspectives

We returned on Saturday from Zimbabwe after a week of research for upcoming ministry. The goal is to reach a million children in Zimbabwe starting at the end of the year. Our research was to find out the spiritual condition within the country. An issue we have faced in South Africa is that Christianity is mixed with ancestral worship and that Jesus is often not portrayed as our savior who desires a intimate and loving relationship with each of us. These findings in SA have helped us in our ministry to speak truth into children's lives about who He really is.We were also looking to see what the needs and struggles were among the children and families in the country. Sometime we can assume that we know what the issues people are facing are but when we dig deeper it reveals that we are not always correct.Once we know all these contributing factors we will begin on a ministry plan to affect lives through the love that only Jesus can offer. The political system in Zimbabwe has brought a lot of hurt to the country and seeing people struggling to survive under the devastating conditions is hard to understand the"why's" sometimes. I heard someone say that although things are hard and we don't always understand Gods reasoning we can trust that it is giving God a platform to do incredible things in this country. The church we partnered with there was started by volunteers of a feeding program in Bulawayo who saw the need to spiritually feed people alongside tending to the physical needs.They set an incredible example of a God centered , outward driven church! God is so wonderful and He deserves all to worship Him!!! God has continually been providing for every aspect of my extended stay. Thank you all for your prayers and encouraging messages.I'm so fortunate to have such wonderful support team !!!

One final thought from 2 Peter 1:5-6

"So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others"

The more I read this passage it so important that we as Christians take advantage of every moment that we are given. So often we can forget that God has people and opportunities in our path and we need to be ready to be His tools in whatever he calls us to.I know that I have often waited for big opportunities to serve God and meanwhile missing all the other things that God asked of me. The beginning verse says not to loose a minute and how true that is. There is a hurting world all around us that desperately needs Jesus. We are all instructed to have a sense of urgency in helping and loving those around us. As I was reading Hudson Taylor's Biography awhile ago and I read that he was able to share Jesus with a man who was very thankful for Gods love but then asked how long had he known about this Jesus ... Hudson Taylor responded by saying for most of his life. The man had started to become upset and when Taylor inquired as to why ,the man said to him, where were a few years ago??.. his father had passed away still searching for hope and purpose in life and had never heard about Jesus. This conversation changed Hudon Taylor's views of being sure that we are where God wants us and are earnestly seeking His direction and guidance .This outlook alowed him to do amazing things in his ministry and his life. May we all be alert to whatever , or whomever God puts in our path.

A big THANK YOU for your prayers, I am very blessed. The past few weeks have been very but its been incredible to see God move. We took a vacation over Easter to Victoria Falls. It was indescribably beautiful and inspiring to see the tremendous power and greatness of our God. After our vacation we traveled to the Free State Providence near Lesotho. We partnered with a team in Bethlehem and visited around twenty four schools and were able to talk with over 16,000 students One of the students we talked with was considering committing suicide due to his situation and he said that the Book of Hope brought change in his life. He said that in it talks about when things are bad to get away from everything and be with God. This time had brought him hope in dealing with his problems. We also were able to visit a deaf and blind school. The time we spent there was one of the best times of my life. All the children there were so excited to hear that they were loved and important to us and Jesus. Our last day we went to a prison and were able to encourage men in the prison and talk with them about the hope and peace that Jesus offers. Andy was able to share with the two types of peace that God offers us . The first kind of peace is when we stop fighting against God and the life he has planned for us, and the second is when we surrender to God and allow him to restore our hearts and change our lives. This week we have twenty four new students at our Leadership Academy. It wonderful to see how excited theses fifteen year olds are to make an impact in their communities and we hope to grow these desires to allow them to see leadership as God intends and equip them to make a difference in SA and the world. The next week we will be traveling to Zimbabwe. Please keep our team from North Carolina in prayers as well as that God would work in Big ways to bring hope to a nation that is broken and oppressed. Thank you all so much for being big part of helping bring Gods love to Africa.