USA Update

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the end of summer in the USA, I know I am! I just wanted to send a final update, as I said I would, about my decisions for this fall. Then I promise, no more African updates ;)

A couple weeks ago, I found out unfortunately that after a long, LONG waiting list process, I did not get accepted to Duke. Needless to say I was pretty disappointed, frustrated, and shaken because I really felt that was where I was going to be and why I had come back from Cape Town. So I responded by doing what I thought best at the time...feeling sorry for myself. After a worthless day of that, I decided maybe it was actually better to not be upset with God, realize that it happened for a specific purpose, and to figure out my next step.

Never having felt fully convinced that Fuller was the place for me right now, I opened myself up to other possibilities. I considered going back to South Africa, but everything about leaving had felt so right and gone so smoothly that I really felt it would be a step backwards and not forwards. Then out of nowhere, Colorado became a real possibility for me. Since I've been home, I have been attending a church called Redemption City which was just started by a South African who felt called here. As I've been going, I've been blown away by so many people who were leading churches around the world and the USA and have felt called to my backyard in Westminister, Colorado with a heart to bless the city. Now all they are missing are local people from the area with that same heart. I began to look back in old notebooks and had written down back in April, while in Cape Town, that God had whispered to me some things about getting involved with this church. (Which I had ignored at the time of course, because I was going to Duke! haha)

To make a long story short, I saw this as a unique opportunity to be a part of something in Colorado and felt it was where God is leading me for now. It's a great chance to learn from a lot of guys who have tons of ministry experience and have a great heart for the Lord. So I'm going to be joining this church and I have deferred my acceptance to Fuller until January. It will give me time also to decide if seminary is the right fit for me. This will mean that I will be living at home for now and looking for work in an unfriendly economy, which will take some getting used to, but I feel that this is where God wants me for now and for that I'm willing to humble myself and be obedient to His call...be it Africa or Arvada.

I am excited for more time with my family, my friends in CO, and to see what God does in my time here. Please pray for God to accomplish everything that He wants in and through me in this season in Colorado. Thanks for all your love, support and prayers over the years! Love, Ryan

Myanmar and Home

Hello From Colorado,

I just got back to Denver with my family yesterday after a lot of traveling and flying. It feels really good to be home with my parents and I can sense that it is the right time for me to be back in the US and moving onto the next season in my life. I'm enjoying it here and am excited about going back to school, although I'm STILL waiting to hear back from Duke. I'm still hopeful though as I am trusting God to open the door there and provide for the costs of it all. (Prayers for that would be really appreciated).

Between the last update I sent however we were able to venture into the beautiful country of Myanmar. We really had to trust God from arrival into the country as we arrived with just enough money to cover the cost of our visas. Upon using our last bit of cash, we entered the country only to find out there are no ATMs in the entire country! Thankfully however we found out that there were about 4 hotels where if you were a guest you could also withdraw money from a credit card and were able to go to one of those hotels. We withdrew a limited amount of money and so we had to be very watchful of how we were spending the rest of our time in the country.

Our time in Myanmar was great. Despite the oppressive government, the country is beautiful, the people are really friendly and hospitable, and the food was amazing. We spent most of our time in a city called Pyin Oo Lwin at an orphanage called St. Matthew's. During those days, we spent our times with the kids there, we taught English, music, and led some of the devotion times where we able to share what Jesus has done in our own lives. The days we had there were very fun and all the staff at the orphanage were incredibly kind and humble. And while I enjoyed our time in the country, I was ready by the end to be on my way home.

This is probably one of my final updates considering my African experience has come to a close. I will send an update when I know my next step 100%. But thank you all for reading, supporting, and praying over the past few years, I really appreciate it. Love - Ryan

India/Bangladesh

Hi Everybody,

In my last update, I told you I was on my way to India. Now India has come and gone and we are already in our second stop in Bangladesh. A group of 6 friends from Cape Town headed to Delhi, India together at the beginning of the month, for the main purpose that we felt God had called us to go there.

In Delhi, we spent time with some local people and some international people from a church there. It was great to spend some time there and see some of what God is doing there. We also were able to visit the cities of Jaipur, Agra (Taj Mahal!), Varanasi, and Darjeeling. India and it's cities are such intense places. They are busy, crowded with people who stare intensely at foreigners, very hot, and noisy (with lots of cars honking). As compared to other places I have visited, I did not really connect with or enjoy most of the places themselves. However I did know that we were supposed to be there.

Once we arrived in Darjeeling, it felt like a different world to me. It is a hill town at the base of the Himalayas full of people who descend from Nepal and Tibet. It was cooler, quieter, and much more beautiful. I felt so at peace and really loved it there. Looking back on our time in India, we saw God do many things. We were able to build relationships and witness about our own experiences with Jesus, to about 20 people who had never really heard about Him before. One man named Das who we met on an overnight train was healed of a headache, experienced a touch of God through prayer and accepted the Lord into His life. We were also able to pray with others and encourage pastors and local workers who were a bit discouraged with their work in India.

After India, 4 of our group headed back to South Africa. 2 of us have continued onto Bangladesh and Myanmar. In Bangladesh we are currently staying with a nice American missionary couple who are hosting us as we visit The Grameen Bank in the capital of Dhaka. The Grameen Bank is showing us some of what they do here as they have been a big inspiration to the microfinance work we started in Cape Town. They are essentially a bank for the poor and are providing business, home, and education loan to millions of the poorest of the poor in Bangladesh. Its very cool to see their work and the impact they're having. Dhaka is yet another huge city (about 20 million), and is similar to Indian cities, except the standard of living is lower here and there are fewer foreigners and much less English. We leave for Myanmar on the 19th.

Please pray for any seeds planted in the people we've met to grow, and for us to continue to connect with God, be aware of what He's doing and be open to Him. Thanks, and I'm getting excited to be back in the US soon and be closer to you all! Love, ryan

Off to The East

Hello Everyone,

The day has finally come. My amazing, longer than expected, stay in Cape Town is drawing to a close as I am getting on the plane later today. The past weeks have been filled with wrapping up my life here, saying many goodbyes, and preparing for the next step. As I have said my goodbyes, there has been some sadness, but mostly gratitude. I've just been overwhelmed with thankfulness for this experience, for all the people that have been put in my life here, and for the goodness and faithfulness of my God who has given me this gift of the past 2 1/2 years here.

I've also been so thankful for all of you back home who have faithfully supported me and made this all become a reality with your prayers, encouragement, and finances. Since the time God called me to Cape Town, the entire experience has been a gift. You all back at home have been a gift, everyone here has been a gift, and I feel so humbled that God would give me so much blessing in my time in Africa. As I've been leaving communities for the last time and giving last hugs, I've also felt an incredible peace that this is the right time to leave. I believe that God has accomplished everything He wanted to in me, and pretty much everything He wanted me to accomplish has been done.

I've been reflecting on what's shifted in my own life; how much I've grown and changed. God has touched me here, mainly through many amazing lives. I've seen and been a part of things that I never thought were possible, and yet God has shown me that He does indeed still work miracles. I've thought about all the time I've been able to spend with young lives here and how much we've given to each other. I've thought about how a microfinance project started that I had no intention to start when coming here; and now has great potential with the local staff running it and The Department of Trade and Industry coming alongside to help it take off to greater heights. I've thought about other projects that I've been able to be involved with and now see those taking off. I've thought about the church community I've found and how we've spent so much time encouraging and affecting each others lives. And I'm mostly just amazed at how it is all God. He has orchestrated all of these things, set these things in motion, and shown me the blessing and adventure of following Jesus. So thank you, because not a single one of these things would have been possible without your support.

As I've told you, my friends and I are heading to India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar today. We have felt God calling us there for awhile now. When I get back in August I will be attending either Fuller (in LA) where I have been accepted or Duke University, which is my top choice, but where I'm currently on the waiting list. If you have been sending financial support to Arvada Covenant Church, I would ask that you would discontinue sending there, as the account was open for me only as long as I was in Africa. I am also trusting God for finances to study. Obviously there is no pressure, but if you feel led in anyway to help contribute to my theological education, you may send checks (with "Seminary" on the memo line) to my parent's home address in Colorado which is:
9920 W. 86th Place, Arvada, CO 80005.

So all I can really say is thank you. I am excited for what God has ahead for us in Asia this month. Please pray that we are able to discern God's voice, let Him lead the trip, and walk in the power and love He has given us as His children. I will keep you updated as much as possible on the trip as to what's happening, and I will continue to pray for you all. Love, Ryan

May

Hi Everybody,

Thanks to those of you who continue reading my blog. I really appreciate it. I know, it's gone on quite a bit longer than my original plan of coming to Africa for 1 year. But God has His own plans, much better plans than what we can dream up. Having said that, I feel like I've gained a bit of clarity on my future. I have decided that I will be leaving Cape Town at the end of June. I believe it's God leading me on, and that almost everything has been accomplished here that was supposed to be.

Funny enough I am STILL waiting to hear back from the schools I've applied to, but I feel confident that God has spoken to me about getting into one of them and that now is the right time to move on. As a part of that, since last year, I have felt God putting the countries of India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar on my heart. His pointing to these countries has intensified this year and has also caught the heart of a few of my Cape Town friends. We're not quite sure yet what God has in store for us there, but we are certain that He has told us to go there for July. So we will be leaving June 29th for those countries and seeing what God has planned there. We have made some contacts there and will backpack our way around, before leaving to return to The USA on Aug 1st!

It's all starting to set in that I'm actually leaving after such a long time here, but I feel at peace that this is the right time. It will be sad in some way as the next few weeks will just be a matter of wrapping up my life in Cape Town, saying goodbye to friends, and finishing out an amazing few years here. I couldn't have asked for a more full, diverse, and amazing experience than what I've received here. Because nothing is definite with school yet, I am basically walking in faith that this is the right thing and that the door will open. So please pray for 1) My transition time 2) Our trip to Asia 3) The door to open to school. Thanks for reading and praying.
Love -Ryan

March/April

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all doing well. Here is another update after me delaying in posting something. I apologize for that. I was hoping to have more of a concrete update about my future after my last blog, but unfortunately I dont have anything to update. I am still waiting to hear back from the schools I applied to, although in my heart I am still feeling that is where God is leading me. There will be an update as soon as I hear anything regarding schools and my future.

This whole process has humbled me in realizing that it is God who holds the key to our lives and our futures. When I have done all I can, the future is out of my hands and I must just wait, it is difficult because I would like to be the one in control. The days I just let go and trust, I feel peaceful about whats ahead. The days I want to grab the reigns and map out every detail, my heart turns anxious. So your continued prayers for patience, direction, and the right open doors are appreciated as I continue to wait.

In the meantime, I've still been working and enjoying life in Cape Town. With Africa Jam we are still continuing with all our programs and had a couple of day camps for children in the past couple of weeks. We are still working to get our business loan project off the ground this year, distribute loans to people in the community, and seek funding for future years of the work.

Life at home is still amazing. Coming home every evening to 8 amazing people is such a blessing. We've been constantly having guests come through our home for dinners or as a place to sleep for the night. We've even seen a few people come to know the Lord for the first time in the past few weeks as well. Life in our church is healthy and vibrant as well. It will be difficult to leave here if that is what's planned. Thank you for your continued prayers for my future and for the loan project (for things to run smoothly and for funding for future years to come through). I miss you all and it may not be too too long before I am back within Verizon coverage and am better able to keep in touch with you. We'll just wait and see ;) Peace
Ryan

Feb

Hello Friends,

I thought it was a good time for another update from Cape Town. I have been working a lot lately, especially at setting up The IGP (Income Generation Project) for 2010. I have been feeling renewed with the work and passionate about what's happening.

I have hired one local guy (Jason) who just recently graduated from the University of Cape Town to be our Branch Manager and we have been training/interviewing applicants from the Khayelitsha community to be our Loan Officers. One or two of them will be on board with us by next week and we will be beginning our process for marketing in the community to those who want to start businesses to provide for their families. We are also seeking more funding for the project to provide for what we want to do this year (25 business loans) but I am excited about some doors that are opening for us.

Part of the reason I've been working so hard is to establish ongoing foundations that would last even if I were to leave. Over the past year, I have been feeling the Lord leading me to apply to seminary in the States. So I have applied and am waiting on acceptance and financial aid responses from several schools. If I were accepted and felt that it was the right thing, I would start sometime in Aug/Sept. I am not 100% certain what is going to happen at this point, but I would really appreciate your prayers for direction and provision in this time.

Thanks for all your continuing support and prayers. Please also pray for the ongoing work in Khayelitsha. Loyiso our co-worker has ventured out to start some Africa Jam work in another province in the Eastern Cape. He has left the after school program in the capable hands of some great young leaders, but please pray for the youth in this time of transition and for Loyiso and his work. Thanks! ryan

Beginning of 2010

Hello Friends,

I hope that you all had a great start to the new year. I had a great time at home over the holidays with family and friends although it was busy with work and a quick turnaround to Cape Town. The reason I had to be back so quickly was for our big Africa Jam youth outreach camp. We had a great week with the kids and saw God doing many great things. Also with the beautiful location and our leaders stepping up to more responsibilities, the week felt like a bit of a vacation for me after a very busy and somewhat stressful "holiday" at home.

Africa Jam has become very effective and efficient at running these camps over the years as this was the 10th in our history and the 4th that I've personally been a part of. At the end of camp, the kids spoke of how they had really experienced an atmosphere of love and how it was like a week of "heaven on earth." As leaders we were very excited to hear that. We also saw 8 kids come to know Jesus Christ for the first time and many more who had their fire for Him rekindled. Many great friendships were formed and bonds were built also.

Just after camp I welcomed down a man named Livhu who I had met at a previous trip to the Small Enterprise Foundation in the Limpopo province. He was one of their top financial overseers and they are the best microfinance organization in South Africa. He stayed with me for 4 days and we worked hard together to put in some improved structures and methods for our Africa Jam microfinance project (The Income Generation Project). It was a great week and really helped put in place some things that can carry on for years to come.

Finally, I have been excited about moving into a new house in a community called Observatory. I am staying with 8 other people from my church in this house. It is a great house and full of amazingly loving people every time we come home. We have named it the "Guest House" because we believe God gave it to us so that we can use it to welcome others in, bless them, and have many guests stay with us. Please continue to pray for everyone in our house and for continued direction in moving forward with our Africa Jam projects. Thanks! - Ryan

End of 2009

Hey Everyone,

I hope you are all well, enjoying the holiday season, and are getting ready to rest during some time off. I am currently back in the USA for those of you who didnt know. I've really been enjoying my time in Colorado and California. Ive had a bit of time to reflect on the past year and even though it has gone fast, it has been a great year.

I'm very thankful for 2009, for the opportunity to have been in Cape Town, for you all helping to make that possible, for God carrying me through many tough and trying times, and for Him doing and showing me many great things. I also feel the excitement to be returning in 2010.

Part of the reason that I am home is that I am fund raising to cover my travel and living expenses in 201o, so that I will be able to continue my work with Africa Jam. We have big plans for next year and I would like to invite you to continue to be apart of that. I will continue to need those who are willing to continue communication and who are willing to support me financially and in prayer. I appreciate any form of support you would give.

If you feel led to support me financially you can make checks payable to Arvada Covenant Church with "Ryan DeCook - Africa Jam" as the memo of the check. The address is:
Arvada Covenant Church
5555 Ward Road
Arvada, CO 80002

I am also pasting a link below to a video that my roommate made. He is a talented director and had to make a documentary for his film school. He asked to make me and some of my experience in Cape Town the subject of his film. I thought I would pass it along to give you some more visuals of where I am spending my time. The video is split into two parts, so if you just click the link below and then click the picture in the gray box, it should start playing the 1st part and link automatically to the 2nd part. Hope you enjoy it. Peace
Ryan
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=325593D7E1E0E615

Oct/Nov

Hello Friends,

I thought I would send out a quick new blog just to update on what's been happening. Since I last wrote, I've had some good experiences. For a week at the end of Oct, the guy I work with on the loan project Zukile, and I went to the cities of Pretoria and Tzaneen which are both far north in the country. The purpose of our trip was to do some research for our loan project from leading experts in the field.

We stopped first in Pretoria at the Center for Microfinance at the University there. They have been compiling research for years surrounding the type of work we are doing and they were very helpful in providing information and advising us. From there we headed further north to the beautiful province of Limpopo. We stayed with a friends parents from my church who were an amazing couple just outside the city of Tzaneen. Our reason for being in Tzaneen was to visit an organization called Small Enterprise Foundation. They are the leading small loan lender in South Africa.

This organization, working mostly with poor woman in the rural areas is overseeing 60,000 businesses that have been started. They have been doing what theyre doing for about 18 years. It was amazing to see what's happening there and what was more amazing was to see their hospitality and openness to our visit as well as sharing information with us. Rather than being protective and worrying about giving away their "secrets", they were just excited to be chatting with other people who were joining them in the fight against poverty. The trip was encouraging for us, we learned a lot, and we even had an extra day at the end of the trip to drive through a game park and see some animals.

Please pray for continued provision and guidance for Africa Jam and our projects. As well as continued closeness with the Lord for our staff and youth. Thanks!
Peace
Ryan

Eastern Cape

Hello Friends,

Here is the most recent update. Our Africa Jam team is back in Cape Town after our trip to the Eastern Cape. We had a team of 5 staff and about 30 youth from Khayelitsha in the small town of Willowvale. The first days were a bit slow and the weather was bad, but after that we had several effective days of kid's camps for the local youth there. One of the days out there was unbelievable however and was probably worth the whole trip.

Our whole team did some community outreach in the afternoons and was at a house helping to clear some soil for a garden to be planted. There were 15 people living in these 2 houses on this plot of land. After working in their garden, we all fit inside their living room and asked if they needed prayer for anything. An old woman, sitting in her chair with a blanket covering her lap, said she needed prayer for her health. She had lung problems and couldn't really walk (she just sat in that chair all day). So as our whole group began to pray for her and ask Jesus to heal her, she began to squirm in her chair a bit, then slowly push the blanket off her lap. We all kept praying and before we knew it, this old granny was up and running back and forth between her chair and her bedroom praising God! Her daughter was so overwhelmed that she started crying and said she was turning back to God and was going to start going back to church.

All of our group was overwhelmed and amazed, singing the whole way back to where we were staying. That night a couple of our staff explained to our youth from Khayelitsha (especially for those who do not have a relationship with Christ) what had happened earlier that day with the miracle and how Jesus can heal people and demonstrate that He is alive and real in various ways. So that evening 5 of the girls from Khayelitsha, having seen this miracle, decided to put their faith in Jesus and begin a relationship with Him. That day definitely made the whole trip.

As for you all that I'm writing to, I hope that you know me enough to know that I do not lie (often ;) or fabricate stories. These are things that I have seen with my own eyes and I have been completely amazed at the power and reality of Jesus Christ at work. Up unto about several months ago, I questioned if healing miracles happened at all. But I just want to encourage you as you read these updates that these are not things that are only in South Africa, or limited to certain peoples, or because of anything special that I or any of our Africa Jam team has done. To know Jesus personally, experience His love and hope, to see His power and be used for a purpose is something that is open and available to every single person. So as someone who deeply cares for each of you, I would urge you to consider and respond to the reality of Jesus just by looking to Him and inviting Him to be with you forever. Many of you knew my life before I came to know Jesus and I can testify that it was the best decision I ever made and would be the best decision you could ever make, the one thing that can radically change your life as it has mine. I hope you will at least consider what I am saying as someone who cares for you and as a sane person just testifying to what I've seen and experiened. I love you all.
Ryan

Miracle

Hey Everyone,

Normally I dont send out updates 3 days after the previous one, but I felt that this was deserving of a post. My friends and I took a train yesterday to a small coastal community to hang out for a public holiday (dont ask me why there's a holiday on a Thurs). As we were walking around a homeless woman approached us. She was asking for money. When I spoke to her more she said she wanted money for pain tablets for her arthritis that's affected her for 20 years.

We chatted more and she also said she was blind in her left eye. She also said that she was a believer in Jesus and loved Him. We talked for a long time and as we talked I just got the sense that we should pray for her injuries. I told her that I believed Jesus is alive and can heal people still as He did back in the days He walked around. So we prayed, just asking Jesus to heal her. After praying she starting moving her arms and her legs, looking shocked, and said that she had no pain anymore. I asked if there was no pain at all..and she said there was none! She started saying "hallelujah!, praise the Lord!"

Then I asked her how her eye was. She said it was still very gray. So we prayed again asking for the healing of her eye. She opened her eyes with this surprised, excited look on her face and started dancing around shouting "hallelujah". I asked her what she could see and she said she could see everything clearly! Her blind eye could see again. So immediately my doubts jumped in that maybe this homeless woman was putting on a show to try and get some money or food. But she never asked me for anything and was just dancing around on the sidewalk and smiling excitedly saying she didnt need pain tablets anymore. We were all amazed at God's active hand on this woman and Jesus' power to heal her. Just thought I would share this story of God's amazing love and power! Peace
Ryan

August/September

Molweni,

I hope you are all well and I keep you all in my prayers while I'm here. Please keep your emails coming my way, as I love hearing what's happening in your lives. There has been a lot going on out here in the last month. As I last updated we are still running with our loan project and monitoring the progress.

There are some who are doing very well and with others we are facing the challenges of working with women who do not have much financial or business experience. But it is an exciting challenge to figure out how to adjust constantly and respond to their needs as we move forward. We are already planning for 2010 and have made our proposal in which we have a vision to see 50 businesses started and those who receive loans to get consistent workshops and training in terms of business, life skills, and Christian spirituality. We are excited about what's ahead for that project.

This week we are gearing up to take our Khayelitsha youth group to the Eastern Cape for a week long outreach trip. The Eastern Cape is the rural area of the Xhosa people where many of the people living in Khayelitsha or their ancestors come from originally. So maybe I'll get some more chances to practice the isiXhosa language that I've been trying to learn (dont be surprised if you hear me using the languages' click sounds when I get back to the States ;). We are excited for the trip and are taking 30 people. We will be partnering with a local Church and Bible College in the small town of Willowvale.

There will be a day camp for young kids that we will be putting on, some drama and dance performances that the youth will be doing for the community, and some getting to know the local people through home visitations. Please pray that in the next week we receive the rest of the funding that we are trying to raise before we leave, for leaders from our Khayelitsha group to be raised up, and for the local community to be touched by the love of Christ. Thanks
Ryan

Return to Cape Town

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are all doing well. It has been about a month since I returned to Cape Town after my visit back home to Colorado. My time at home went by fast, but it was great to see my family and some friends while I was there. My family got some time to rest in the mountain town of Telluride, which is such an amazing place. If any of you Coloradans get a chance you should go check it out.

While I was gone our team went up to the largest township in South Africa called Soweto (in Johannesburg) and led a camp in which many youth learned about HIV/AIDS and many committed their lives to Christ. Since Ive come back, after I adjusted from the time change, I hit the ground running. We were picking up where we left off. It has been cool to see the businesses in Khayelitsha that started while I was home. Most of the business owners are doing quite well in their different ventures such as selling chickens, running a fruit and vegetable stand, selling frozen meat, and selling photographs and business cards.

The young man, Simphiwe, who started a photography business has also gotten involved in another project outside of Africa Jam. Along with some members of my church we have initiated a project called Freeway Football. There are soccer players from some of the townships of Cape Town who find themselves playing the sport they love off the side of the main Freeway in the city. We want to tell the story of these teams and their players, as well as using local photographers like Simphiwe to receive training and document the stories. The hope is to raise up and train local photographers in order to make a book that will be sold, with profits coming back into the communities where the soccer players are from.

It has been amazing to see the progress of the project so far and God's hand in it. Already for our pilot phase, Nikon has come on board to sponsor and provide cameras for Simphiwe and another local photographer. There is already a publisher willing to publish the book, and we are trying to line up more sponsors. If you are interested in checking out more of the project you can check out the website at www.freewayfootball.org. Please keep praying for this project, for Africa Jam, the success of the business owners, and for vision and direction for myself and others involved. Thanks so much for all your continued support. Peace
Ryan

Exciting June

Hey Everyone,

Wow, it has been an exciting month since we last spoke.  1st of all it has been very busy and I've been working hard because I am actually coming home to Colorado to visit family and friends in 2 days!  I dont think I've told many of you, but Ive had it planned for a long time to come home during my holiday for the year.

But our work has really been exciting to be a part of these last few weeks.  Our team is preparing to run a holiday camp for youth in the biggest township in South Africa in Johannesburg...unfortunately I wont be able to go because I already had my trip home booked.  We've also recently been able to purchase and put up a centre for the youth in Khayelitsha.  It is such a great step from the large tin shack that they were using for a couple years.

We also just launched our small loan program (Income Generation Project) in Khayelitsha as well.  This is the main thing we've been busy getting off the ground before I come home.  We have now distributed over R31,000 (South African Currency) to help 12 people from the community, whom are mostly unemployed, start their own businesses.  Through this process we have also hired another local guy Zukile to work with me on the project and be able to manage and run the project.  It is really exciting and now we just have to monitor things and trust these new entrepreneurs to do their part and for God to do His part as well.

We had an exciting celebration in Khayelitsha with the youth, their families, and the local community to celebrate the launch of the loan project and the opening of the new building.  It was an amazing day for our whole team to see the community supporting it, God shining on it, and the fruits of our efforts.  So Im getting on a plane to come home exhausted, but knowing that the first half of 2009 has been a success and that Africa Jam is having an impact in the places we are working.  Please pray for the use of the building in the community for God's purposes, for the success of the loan recipient's businesses and for the youth we work with.  

Thank you, and I look forward to chatting over the phone or seeing some of you when I am home.  Peace

Ryan

April/May

Hey Friends,

I hope that you are all well. It has been about a month since I wrote to you. There has not been too much to update in terms of new events or things happening. The major thing that is happening is that Africa Jam has recently ordered a building for a community center in Khayelitsha. It will be delivered and put in the community in the next few weeks and we will be able to have our afterschool program there. Also, we will be launching our small loan program in about 1 month, which will be exciting to see people starting their own businesses.

Other than that, we have just been continuing with our day to day activities. The past month for me has really been a time of personal struggle and growth however. For the last couple of months I have been wrestling with a whole variety of things such as questions, doubts, negative emotions, and feeling a bit overwhelmed with life and community work. It has been a difficult time but I am starting to see so many good things coming out of it.

These struggling times have forced me to really get honest with myself, with others, and with God. It has been so liberating to get back to being more authentic and transparent. Sometimes the most freeing thing is just to share something you're struggling with. And as for my faith, I have become very real and open with God. Rather than pretending things are perfect and feeling good, Ive really been realizing I can tell God anything, the good and the ugly. As part of that I have been finding different ways to creatively express myself. Ive been spending much more time writing, coming up with poetry, playing music, doing photography. I think it has been really healthy and helpful to have those outlets.

So it really has been a good month, as I'm seeing all of the good things coming out of these struggles. I am feeling more free, more alive, more close to God than I have in quite awhile. I'm once again seeing the amazing ways God can use our difficulties for good. So thanks for all your continued prayers and support. Please continue to pray for 1) The Loan Project we are starting 2) The youth we work with 3)Me and my fellow workers to continue to grow and be changed in healthy ways. Thanks! Love you all
Ryan

News

Hello Friends,

I hope that things are well with you all and that you had a great Easter weekend. Mine was great as I spent time with some friends from my church about 6 hours up the coast in a beautiful place called Plettenberg Bay. We spent the weekend just relaxing and swimming at the beach which was well needed after a busy month and a busy week leading up to it.

Things have really been going well in the community of Lotus River. At the end of February we began teaching in a primary school about sexuality, choices, and HIV/AIDS. Since we are working with 6th and 7th graders, believe me it is not the easiest task in the world (you can imagine some of the comments), but both Africa Jam and the school felt that it was a very necessary thing for a lot of these kids who just get educated on these issues from word of mouth through peers.

Then all of last week, before the Easter weekend, we had a holiday camp with 3rd-5th graders at that same school. We spent the week playing games, singing, sharing Bible stories, having competitions and lots of fun. There were about 150 who attended the camp. On one of the days after we acted out the story of Jesus and how God had used Him to bring people back into a relationship with Him, we asked if there were any student who wanted that for themselves, and every single student stood up to respond to God's love.

It was a great week and needless to say, we were exhausted by the end. But things are continuing with our programs in Khayelitsha as well. I have recently met some people who have gotten involved in the planning of our small loan program and are helping push us closer to launching it. So please keep praying for us here. Please keep your updates and prayer requests coming. I would love to hear from you all and want to stay connected to home as time passes. I miss you all and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Peace
Ryan

Feb/March

Hello Everyone,

The past month has flown by. And it was a seriously hot month. I think that February is the warmest month of the year with several days reaching up to nearly 100 degrees. I sweat driving around town, but thankfully I now have those tinted windows (courtesy of the guy who stole it) on my car to keep some of the heat out. Haha.

The day to day work that Africa Jam has really gotten back up and running for the year. We started our after school program in the community of Lotus River again with over 40 kids coming. Its quite a challenge to try and quiet down and teach guitar to such a large number of 5th, 6th, and 7th graders though, haha. We also started our tutoring program in Khayelitsha again, bringing University of Cape Town students from my church to be with our youth once a week.

A lot of my time recently has actually been spent brainstorming and meeting with different advisers to get input into the loan program we want to launch in Khayelitsha in the next couple of months. It is exciting that we will be putting something in place that will be helping better provide for the needs of the youth and their families through helping them start businesses, but it is a bit daunting to do it well and work out all the details.

So please pray for this program and for all of Africa Jam's projects to be led forth by God's Spirit. Also please continue to pray for the youth we work with, specifically the ones I mentioned last time who were dealing with the rape recovery and the drug addiction. Thanks so much and please send me all of your updates and prayer requests. Peace
Ryan

January Summary

Hey Everyone,

I apologize that it has taken me so long to get back to you after my last email and update about camp. I have been waiting to get pictures from our camp so I could post them and send you all the link (pictures always make the words more clear). But I have to update give an update about our big youth camp that happened from Jan. 4-9. It was an incredible week. Out of the last 3 camps I have been to, it was the best yet. This was so amazing to me coming out of a year with such transition in the organization - to see God work it all out in the end showed me that He is still behind all that we are doing.

We had 200 people from all over Cape Town and a large visiting group from the US. Once again it was so cool to see all the relationships that were built, fun that was had, and walls that were broken down. Since camp has ended I have spoken to many who tell me how much God did in their lives over this week. And it incredible to hear about the diversity of things that God did in each individual life, including introducing Himself to some for the first time.

Riding on the wave of excitement, we have been planning and preparing for the year for our day to day work in the schools and with after-school programs. I am especially excited about planning our small loan project to help provide income for some of the youth and families we work with. So as the schools have gotten back from vacation, we are getting back into the swing of things.

However, we are always faced with the hard realities of life, humanity, and some of the communities we work in. Just this past week, I had a youth come to me and share his battle with drug addiction. And a girl heavily involved in one of our programs was abducted, forced to witness robberies, and was raped. Thankfully she got away and is in the process of proper counseling. So I would really ask for prayers for these two youth specifically for healing and comfort. As well as wisdom from our team as how to better serve the youth. Thanks so much for all your continued support and prayers. Peace
Ryan
http://picasaweb.google.com/decookr (pics of things this year in "Cape Town 09" folder

Back to CT

Hello Friends,

I hope that you all had a great Christmas and holiday season. Mine was amazing, especially since I got to see or chat to many of you. My few weeks in the states were very busy with fundraising and catching up with friends and family, but it was a great time.

Two nights ago I arrived safely back in Cape Town. It was a long flight and Im a bit worn out, but adjusting. It's always hard to leave home, but much easier to arriving in a place where Ive been able to build so many great relationships.

The main reason I had to return so quickly was our big youth camp for the year. We are starting in a couple days (Jan 4-9). We are trusting it will be a great camp as it has been in the past, with 150 youth from all over Cape Town attending. So...

Please pray for: 1) Camp to run smoothly and for local leaders to be raised up - 2) Everyone attending to be touched by the love of God

Thanks for all your continued support and prayers. Looking forward to walking forward with you in 2009. Peace

Ryan