“No No, Your Other Left...”

Hey everyone, thanks once again for checking out this blog! The picture you've most likely just laughed at is probably the best picture I've ever taken... I am not doing too great with this jet lag thing! I imagine once I get more involved in my schedule I will update less, but for now I guess I’ll pick up about where I left off in the other blog. After Brandon helped me get to where I need to go, I had about a 45 minute ride with someone who had been hired to drive me to our house. I had originally sat in the back of the van but decided to move up to shotgun to see if there was potential for good conversation with the driver. I introduced myself as Josh and instead of telling me what his name was he simply asked me what I was doing in Cape Town. I told him briefly what I was planning on doing and he asked me this question: “So Yosh (Josh) you are a holy man then?” -- my brilliant response: “well, uh, yes, well I mean, I try to be...” If you think about it, this is often a hard question to answer. Am I holy? Well “no, not really.” - God does make me holy though and I strive to be holy so “yes,” - in a way. So I ask myself, am I a holy man? Funny question to answer, I don’t think I’ve ever heard it put that way in the States. I don’t know where I am going with this but I hope you consider this question a little bit as well.

I eventually asked the driver what his name was and he said “Abrihiem.” I didn’t really catch it at first and I asked him to repeat it. He did. I said: “Oh, AbraHAM.” I could just hear the stupid southern accent emphasizing the HAM coming out of my stupid mouth. Embarrassing. To try to find a connection between the two of us I almost said something like: “Oh, Abraham! We have two good Christian names.” Thankfully, before I could say it, he responded to my “AbraHAM” by saying that his name was the Muslim version of Abraham. :/ Dodged a bullet on that one possibly... The conversation got much better from there on. We talked for a good 40 minutes about the World Cup and the countries different players, tourist attractions, even street signs, and mostly rap. Yes, rap. Never has my knowledge of rap and rappers been so relevant in my life! Abraham was a joy to get to know.

You may already know this, but in S.A. Everyone drives on the left side of the road instead of the right. This is still confusing and scaring the crap out of me every time we go out somewhere. It even affects the way people walk. Whether you have noticed it or not people tend to pass each other while walking the way they would while driving. Well, I must say I have had several awkward moments trying to go to the right of someone and them going to their left. Apparently, I need to work on how to walk correctly down here.... Obviously, the culture has other differences as well. When I was talking with Abraham, we passed an accident where there were two cars involved and at least 8 tow trucks. He asked me what we called our tow trucks in America. “um, tow trucks? Yea. We just call them tow trucks I guess.” He said that they called their tow truckers “hyenas.” They call them “hyenas” since, there is apparently little work here, many come rushing to any accident hoping to be chosen. Just shows you some of the differences in mindset and the need for money. It is a sad reality we often never have to deal with or even think about. Even still, Cape Town is very beautiful at night. We are staying on the outskirts of the city, so we don’t get to see it very often, but coming up from the airport on the mountains was stunning.

(My bed is the far right) --->

(Pool)-- as if you couldn't tell

Well, I guess I’ll tell you a little bit about where I am staying before I’m done with this entry. I am in some kind of gated house where there are a bunch of other volunteers living as well. I am rooming with a guy named Brock and then another guy named Ethan who is getting here on Monday night. Beds are kind of small and there is no heating. So it does get pretty cold here. But there is warm water and plenty of food to eat here (and we all know that is the most important thing for me!) There normally is a pool here, but it is winter and that looks like that will certainly not happen any time soon. There is also an abandoned bar, ironically out behind my room. Not too interesting I’ll admit, I just have nothing else to talk about anymore! Well, tomorrow I start my first day of work! I’m sure I’ll let you know how it goes soon!

I guess, some food for thought for the day would be:

How would you respond if a complete stranger asked you if you were a “holy man (or woman)?”

Oh and as always I am still trying to raise money for this whole thing: Soo...

If you are interested in donating to my trip this summer read on... If not, thank you for your prayers and see you next time!

If you would like to give, your donation IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE!

Please make the check out to The Church At Severn Run

And make sure to put “Josh Sheppard’s mission trip” in the note at the bottom of the check.

Please do not mail it to my college address, but rather mail it to my home address, it is:

Josh Sheppard

8203 Joshua Ct.

Laurel, MD 20708

God Bless,

Josh Sheppard

Good People

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog again!

I have been in Cape Town for about 48 hours now. My first day here, on Friday, I slept in till about 11:30. I woke up and went to a training program for some of what we will be doing down there. This was very difficult to stay awake during since it was for several hours. I did learn a few cool things during that time though. I can now juggle (well almost) and I can make ballon animals! Be jealous. :)

On Friday I did a good job fighting jet lag and didn’t go to bed until around 11p.m. Today though, I messed up twice. I woke up at around 11 and at noon I sat down on my bed for what was supposed to be a brief moment and then slept for three hours. A couple hours later I slept from 6 - 8. Not good! Well, now I am wide awake and at least I have the energy to write this blog! I figured I would use this time to update you on the rest of my journey here.

Well last time we talked I was trying to have a conversation with that intimidatingly large man on my right during the plane flight from Johanesburg to Cape Town. Well... That

didn’t work out too great. When flying on South African Airways, alcohol is free. And this man certainly was aware of this, as he consumed a great deal of it! For the rest of the trip the man drank increasing amounts of wine while mumbling German underneath his breath. He just sat there and kept talking to himself, so I decided to talk to the man on my left. He ended up being a resident of Cape Town so it was great to listen to the things he suggested I should do before I leave in a couple months. Of course we talked about the World Cup and overall it was a good experience talking to him. On the flight earlier I sat next to a woman who was returning on a business trip to her home of Cape Town. I figured if you’re going to sit next to someone for 18-20 hrs you might as well get to know them. She was a very nice lady with a great accent. It was like an Australian accent combined with an English one, absolutely wonderful!

Traveling internationally is something I have not done in a very long time. I usually love flying, simply because I get to sit next to and meet new people, I get a ton of reading done, and obviously I’m getting somewhere I need to be all at the same time. You will find some very interesting people on a flight like this. “People watching” is pretty fascinating, and not in a creepy way I promise. During our unscheduled two hour lay over in

Senegal, I got to ease drop in a conversation going on to my left. One girl had grown up in South Carolina (?) and then moved to Cape Town for high school. She then went to college in San Diego, California I beli

eve. She was on her way to Johannesburg to meet with some of her friends to do volunteer work for a couple weeks. She also said very nonchalantly that she was going to see a couple World Cup games... No big deal. Then she was going to Tanzania to meet her boyfriend and, I’m sure, do other interesting stuff there. Another lady she was talking to was from Iowa on a business trip to Cape Town. I need to work for a company like that! Traveling really is a great way to hear interesting stories and meet interesting people. I met someone like this at the Cape Town airport.

When I got to the airport I discovered that my bags hadn’t made the flight. Sooo... I went to S.A.A. Baggage claim where I met a great guy named Brandon. Brandon was unbelievably helpful in assisting me. He told me that my baggage would arrive on the next flight, but that would take an hour. My flight had already been delayed by this point (we were about 45 minutes late) and I was worried that those who were supposed to pick me up had le

ft. So Brandon walked me out of security to check and see if this was the case. And of course, they were not there. My phone doesn’t work here, so B

randon helped me by calling the office where I was to work but they did not pick up. I also did not have the address for where I was staying so I had no idea where I was supposed to go. There I was, standing in a foreign airport hoping my luggage would be on the next plane, without a working phone, and no idea where I was supposed to stay that night. Thank God for Brandon.

Eventually we did get a hold of someone from Living Hope (thats where I am staying) and they helped direct me to the house. - more on that in the next blog (if I remember). Brandon and I talked for probably a total of 30 minutes walking back and forth thr

ough baggage check and security. He asked me why I was here and I told him. He seemed very interested in the work I was going to be doing there and kept asking questions. I thought it was just because he wanted a good tip at first. But then he told me that he too was a Christian and that his dad had actually helped start and was the head of the Methodist Church here in Cape Town. I felt very blessed to have run into him and for the encouragement he gave me. He asked me to come speak at there church sometime, I gave him my number and hope to hear from him, just hope he doesn’t ask me to speak! I only knew him for about an hour or so but he was one of the most genuine people (I think) I have met in a very long time. I also saw the lady I had the pleasure of sitting next to on my earlier flight from D.C. Mariette, thats her name, was at the baggage claim for the later flight that my baggage had finally arrived on. It was pretty cool to see her and Brandon meet, too of my favorite people in South Africa (really the only two I knew), and talk with one another. Mariette had given me her card in case I needed anything while I was in Cape Town over the next 10 weeks and Brandon had already helped me. Awesome people. I think that God often chooses to show himself through others and it is always a blessing to meet those who He is working within.

I’ve met several others since then, and since I want to make sure I no longer bore you with this blog, I will write about it in another entry!

Also, I have raised just over half of the money I need to stay down here, but we are still trying to raise the rest through people like you! Thank you once again for reading this blog and praying for my trip this summer. I pray that you have a blessed day!

If you are interested in donating to my trip this summer read on... If not, thank you for your prayers and see you next week!

If you would like to give, your donation IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE!

Please make the check out to The Church At Severn Run

And make sure to put “Josh Sheppard’s mission trip” in the note at the bottom of the check.

Please do not mail it to my college address, but rather mail it to my home address, it is:

Josh Sheppard

8203 Joshua Ct.

Laurel, MD 20708

God Bless,

Josh Sheppard

24 Season Finale (not really but this article may be as ridiculous as the show)

Wow, the previous 24 hours have been very interesting. It is May 27, 12:36 p.m. ET, however it is 6:37 in the evening here... If you are reading this then I must have made it safely to Cape Town (and was just too tired to edit further). My flight (from D.C. to Johannesburg) took off at about... Well I can’t even remember right now but the entire plan ride took about 17 hrs. After crossing the Atlantic we stopped for fuel in Dakar, Senegal. There, we somehow had problems with the luggage and ended up have a two hour lay over in Dakar... This ended up be rather inconvenient since I was supposed to catch a connecting flight in Johannesburg* to my final destination of Cape Town soon after that flight arrived. When we finally arrived I ran through customs and to the baggage claim. Of course, I was one of the last dozen people to receive their luggage. Knowing that there was a chance I could make the flight (praying and assuming that it was delayed) I ran to recheck my bags to Cape Town. I ran ( literally running as fast as I could through the airport, like the movies and all) to get my boarding pass, cut in front of tons of people, like any good Northern would do, and then rushed through security. I didn’t even put my shoes until I had somehow managed to catch the shuttle bus to board the plane in time. But to be honest, and this might sound silly, it was really fun. I had always wanted to run through a foreign airport causing others to look at me and think that I was one of two things: either I was very important and an essential part of an international spy agency chasing after a suspect or, the more likely of the two, an idiot who was late to board his flight... I just got a hair cut so I’m hoping I looked the part of the former option.

This all happened in the last 20 minutes of me writing this. I was going on less than one hour of sleep last night. I also had, and still have a strong desire to use the bathroom. However, the rather large man next to me looks very angry and is sleeping. I dare not bother him. He is seriously scary (I just turned my computer monitor at a downward angle to make sure he can’t read this...) He probably hates me since after getting to the plane I thought this man was sitting in my seat and told him so, not a very positive response... So I’m just going to wait on the whole bathroom thing for awhile. My Verizon blackberry does not have service and since this flight is delayed I really hope the people that are supposed to pick me up decide to wait... So in sum: 1 hr of sleep throughout 24 hours of traveling + sprinting and sweating through a foreign airport alone + really needing to use the bathroom but sitting in fear next to an large angry male = well I’m not sure really, I’m just tired. Thank God for music. Seriously. Now, on a more positive note.

The soccer atmosphere here is astounding. (In case you weren’t aware the world cup is in South Africa in a couple weeks) Almost every single portion of the airport was covered in futbol advertisements and promotions. “World Cup S.A. This...” “World Cup S.A. That...” Drink Coke if you’re a real futbol fan, fly South African Airways if you’re a true South African fan. And I absolutely love it. A couple seats over to my right a man is wearing a South African futbol jersey, man I want one. I almost bought one at the airport but didn’t have too much time to look while breathing up my lungs. The man on my left is playing a futbol managing game where he controls an entire futbol club for a year or so and has to do things like manage salaries, players, coaches and stadiums. Man, I hope he doesn’t look over here either... I just asked the (as I turn my screen at a weird angle once again) large man to my right to allow me to use the bathroom and he did. When I returned I sat back down and tried to explain to him why I hadn’t been able to use the bathroom at the airport... Basically all of what I wrote above and he just kind of grinned briefly and mumbled his disapproval of my existence... I could just keep writing and writing about this past 24 hours. What a great story this will all be someday, and I will save you the time from reading it. Because of all the free time on the plane I managed to read Donald Miller’s newish book called A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It talks about how we should seek a good story to live out. I’ll tell you about it later I think.

Ok well I think I’ll go on writing in more detail since I don’t want to give in to jet lag, but don’t worry I’m done writing for this blog...

I am just so thankful to everyone who has supported me whether through prayer or finance! I am looking forward to the opportunities that God is going to present over the next 10 weeks!

If you are interested in donating to my trip this summer read on... If not, thank you for your prayers and see you next week!

If you would like to give, your donation IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE!

Please make the check out to The Church At Severn Run

And make sure to put “Josh Sheppard’s mission trip” in the note at the bottom of the check.

Please do not mail it to my college address, but rather mail it to my home address, it is:

Josh Sheppard

8203 Joshua Ct.

Laurel, MD 20708

Thank you once again for reading this blog and praying for my trip this summer. I pray that you have a blessed day!

Josh Sheppard

P.s. Dinner is being served on the plane and I just shared, with my new (as I adjust the monitor once again) and rather intimidating friend to my right, my surprise and joy at this news which then resulted in him giving me a look of utter hatred. I’m going to keep talking to him, I’ll let you know how it goes.

Thoughts from a Roadtrip

Warning: This one might take you a little while to read but I think its pretty good today so hang in there with me!

So its about 12:37 a.m. eastern time here in the passenger seat of my stylish Ford Taurus.... My longtime friend and roommate, Ian and I are about 4 hours into our 15 hour roadtrip home to the great state of Maryland from the beautiful city of Birmingham! Ian is driving right now so I figured I would take some of this newfound free time to write you all and update you on the status of this summer’s trip! We are planning on driving about 800 miles in a car with no air-conditioning, oh and the engine light is on... Oh well... Anyways, thank you so much for all the prayers and support many of you have offered over the past couple of weeks. I can’t really express how thankful I am to my college friends who have given financially to my mission this summer!

I am sorry it has taken so long for me to update this blog again, I was dealing with finals and the crash of my MacBook over the past week or two so I haven’t been able to work on the fundraising aspect of this trip until recently. I am happy to say though, that I have finally sent the majority of my support letters out! (If you would like to receive a support letter just email me with your address at jshepshep@gmail.com and I’ll send you one to you as soon as I possibly can!)

It is only TEN DAYS till I fly out of Baltimore-Washington Airport destined for Cape Town, South Africa! How quick the time has passed since I was first told about this mission trip. I thank God so much for the opportunity to do His will this summer!

Today I figured I would continue to update this blog with some reflections on some of the things I’m experiencing, reading, etc. along this journey to Cape Town.

I have been reading a very convicting book recently by an outstanding pastor down in Birmingham, AL named David Platt. His new book is called “Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream.” I’ve read just over half of it so far but I have been very challenged by David in what I have read. His goal in writing his book is to get the reader to look at what Jesus actually says in the gospels and compare this to the American Dream. He says that many Americans have subconsciously tamed the real Jesus into the type of Jesus that allows them to do what they want to do and spend money on what they want to spend money. (As a disclaimer I am not writing this little reflection on money management and personal sacrifice in order to get you to give me more money! Seriously, it just happens to be the book I am reading right now so I’m afraid thats all I have to write about!) And to be even more honest, I would much rather you give your time to helping others than just giving some of your money.

Jesus calls us to take up our cross daily and follow him. But what does this really mean to us? The cross was quite obviously an ancient method of slow torture and death, but often times we forget this. We have been desensitized to this unimaginable experience of humiliation and agony. Maybe Jesus calls us to take up our electrical chair daily, or for our willingness to daily burn at the stake for Christ. Look seriously at the implications of this thinking. Christ calls us to be willing to give more of ourselves than merely our financial resources, He calls us to put ourselves out there and risk our comfort for His glory. But often we try to rationalize these passages away by saying something like: “Jesus really wouldn’t tell us not to bury our father and say good-bye to our family” (like He did to his disciples) or “Jesus didn’t literally mean to sell all we have and give it to the poor... (like he did to the rich young ruler)” But David warns us to be careful here, he warns us that we are starting to redefine Christianity, simply because we don’t want to deal with what Christ is saying to me, what he is saying to you. We are often tempted to turn the real Jesus found in the Bible into the good looking, clean cut, caucasian male who really wouldn’t tell us to sell our Jaguar convertible. Jesus wouldn’t really want us settling for a Toyota... In order for us to give the money to those helping the poverty stricken single mothers in downtown Baltimore. Or even worse so we can go down there and help them in person! --But God may call us to do just that.

Maybe I give my 10% like the Bible tells me too. Awesome, I get by and waltz in to heaven doing the bare minimum, or just above it, to get my reward...

But lets face it, its not about me or my 10%...

Giving 10% is an Old Testament idea my friends, the New Testament calls on us to give our entire lives! What an incredible and daunting challenge. Trust me, I don’t like hearing this half as much as you but it is part of being a follower of Christ. He wants our everything, and besides shouldn’t we be willing to give more than just 10% to the God who saved our soul?

But hang in there with me, here is the kicker:

When we give of our things and ourselves away, we can have joy in this. We can have joy because we really aren’t giving anything away, rather all we are doing is gaining. We can give everything away while gaining everything we could ever need.

What an awesome paradox, praise God!

What do you think it would look like for you to trust in God for your financial needs? Are you willing to give a little more than the “American Dream” would permit? Are you willing to donate your time and prayers to the kids suffering under the sex trade rings in Birmingham? Bottom line here (for me at least):

Christ calls me to do more than what I am doing. He calls me and you to trust more in His provision. And finally, the God living and dwelling within you, calls you to take up your electric chair daily and put yourself at risk, in whatever form that may be, to serve God’s will here on earth, here, in your city, today.

Why not try taking a risk this week for the God who saved your soul?

If you are interested in donating to my trip this summer read on... If not, thank you for your prayers and see you next week!

If you would like to give, your donation IS now TAX DEDUCTIBLE! That’s right, thanks to my awesome church back in Maryland this is really happening. Get excited.

Please make the check out to The Church At Severn Run

And make sure to put “Josh Sheppard’s mission trip” in the note at the bottom of the check.

Please do not mail it to my college address, but rather mail it to my home address, it is:

Josh Sheppard

8203 Joshua Ct.

Laurel, MD 20708

Thank you once again for reading this blog and praying for my trip this summer. I pray that you have a blessed day!

Josh Sheppard