ACTS training

ACTS, African Christian Tours and Safaris, is a christian organization that facilitates mission and holiday trips in multiple countries in Africa. My church has been working with ACTS for about 4 years now, ever since we have been partnering with a town in Zambia. 

ACTS guides are there to serve the group and provide them with their physical needs so they might do their mission as successfully as possible - transportation, lodging, food, etc. Just to give you an idea of what all being a guide entails, this criteria list is from my training manual ---- 

Role as an ACTS guide:

1. Tour leader

2.  Logistical manager

3. Short term missions consultant

4.  First aider

5. Head chef

6. Entertainer

7. Counselor

8. Crisis manager

9. Immigration officer

10.  Bush master J 

Being a guide is so many things! Basically the 'jack of all trades'. It’s a lot of hard work but it’s so rewarding. I am so excited! For the past week we have been training and I have been preparing the menus for 18 people for 12 days! I’ve had to come up with meals to prepare and give to the team for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and a few desserts for a 12 day trip. Before our team arrives, the two other guides and I will be buying all of the food, cleaning up the truck, checking all of the equipment, etc. For this trip we are ‘bush camping’ which is pretty much ‘roughing it’ in a very rural area. We will have to build our own bathroom and shower stall on the camp ground. We will also be staying in tents and cooking over a fire. It’s going to be quite the experience! My first trip to Africa was this same camping experience except this time I will be participating in the mission in another perspective. It’s going to be so great because everyday we will get to hear all of the amazing stories about how God has been working through the group and through their ministry. It will be a great blessing to us guides hearing how God provided and moved everyday. On the other hand, we are going to be ministering to our group as well. It’s such a blessing to have guides that are servant hearted, always cheerful, always encouraging, the last ones to go to sleep and the first to arise. I have always appreciated the guides I have had in the past and I am so excited that I will get to be one of them – to serve and help people in that way.

We are leaving early tomorrow morning and driving to Lusaka, Zambia where we will buy all of the food we need and prepare the truck and equipment. Saturday night is when our church group arrives and we will be staying there for a day and then driving to the ministry site along with our missionaries we have been working with for the past few years, Wes and Laurie Wilcox. Then we will be ‘in the bush’ for about 7 days and then driving back to Livingstone where we will stay for 2 days. This is where the group will see Victoria Falls and do any other tourist activities.

After this trip, Mandy and I will be staying with Wes and Laurie for about a week – visiting with them as well as shadowing them. After that we will return to Zimbabwe and work at the volunteer projects until our next trip! Keep us in your prayers.

MAJESTIC GOD

We’re here! We arrived Friday night safely without any trouble. Our flights were ahead of schedule and Barry and Robby were waiting on us when we arrived. Robby is a volunteer from Tennessee who we met last year in Zambia. This past weekend Mandy and I along with Robby have been staying at Barry and his wife Wendy’s house in Harare, Zimbabwe. We are having a restful weekend and will begin training on Tuesday. Barry’s house is definitely considered ‘living large’ here in Harare. It has a big yard, swimming pool, and tennis court. Mandy and I are staying in room together with two separate beds and a desk area with Barry’s laptop so we can occasionally get on the internet. There are random power cuts here and the internet is very slow so we can’t get on very much. But the power has been on since we have been here so it’s been good. Saturday they let us sleep late --- so Mandy woke me up around 11am. We were tired!

            The afternoon consisted of us talking, visiting the local market, and getting coffee at a coffeehouse. Then we spent some time trying to get on the internet to email our parents which took a while, had dinner, and played a boardgame called ‘Settlers of the Catan’. Today we went to Barry and Wendy’s church. It is a lot like church at home except the people were a bit more expressive. There were people dancing as they worshiped and also people just standing or sitting down. I recognized most of the songs we sang. They sing a little African music in another language and contemporary Christian music like Hillsong.  The African culture is much more relational than we are. We are more time oriented, where as church started at 9am and people were still arriving at 9:30am. When I say they are more relational I mean that no matter if they are late or early to a meeting or something, they always go around in the middle of the service and greet others important to them first before anything. So we may be singing songs and worshiping while people will arrive late and still go around to certain people and greet them. They were all very welcoming.

            I recognized a few faces I knew which was interesting. I recognized two guides I have had on trips – Tawanda from the first time I went to Zambia and Shelton from the last time I went. It is cool to see familiar faces across the world. The first night I was here along with yesterday I was having a few doubts about this summer. I was thinking things like, “Am I really going to be here for 2 & ½ months?” and “Can I handle being away for this long?” and “Did God really call me for this?” It was just random thoughts going through my head, doubting whether or not I am supposed to be here. I just prayed to God for comfort, knowing it was all in my head. This morning when I was at a church in place with an entirely different culture, different language, thousands of miles away from home, and yet we were still worshiping the same God ---- it was then I was reminded that I am exactly where I need to be. I will have my weak moments when I miss home but this is DEFINITELY part of God’s plan for me. I don’t know what all He will show me or do through me but I do know that I am excited! I am excited that I get to serve him the best I know how and He will be glorified. I am excited that I get to love others with the love of Jesus Christ! Our God is such a Majestic God!

Throughout the next few days we will be talking through our plans with Barry and planning things. I will be leaving to guide our church's trip next Thursday or Friday in Zambia. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers in the next week as I prepare for the trip. I will be learning a lot! Thank you so much for your love and support. 

love,

Megan

FLIGHT INFO:

Delta Airlines
Depart - 21 May - Atlanta, GA 3:50 pm
Arrive - 22 May - Johannesburg 4:40 pm

South African Airways
Depart - 22 May - Johannesburg 7:40 pm
Arrive - 22 May - Harare 9:20 pm
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South African Airways
Depart - 30 July - Harare 1:15 pm
Arrive - 30 July - Johannesburg 3:05 pm

Delta Airlines
Depart - 30 July - Johannesburg 9:05 pm
Arrive - 31 July - Atlanta, GA 7:20 am