One More Thank You

Everyone,

I just got done reading all of the newer comments that were made on some of my previous posts, and I just want to thank you all for keeping up with my writings throughout this trip. As blessed as I was by this trip, it is so fulfilling to know that my thoughts were able to reach out to so many more hearts than I could have ever asked for. All of your comments were honestly such a blessing to me, and I thank God for such involvement. I pray that God returns the blessing on all of your lives, ten fold. Thanks again! This blog has been amazing for my individual interpretation of this trip, and I trully appreciate all of you support and encouragement. Hopefully, I can do this again soon. God bless you all!

~Tristan

Final Day - The Circle of Life

I believe that there comes a point in every person’s life, where you realize that the most significant aspects of life transpire in one big circle. For some people, this theory might emerge as individuals begin realizing, as spectators, the reoccurrence of cultural trends, set in place by younger generations (i.e. fashion, slang words, etc.). Others might relate this idea to some book or past situation, which may have sparked an intense case of déjà vu, at such a pivotal point in their life that it is seen as some divine piece of wisdom; thus, shaping that person’s life and destiny. Just as well, for some people, this idea of life recycling meaning may never occur; and, I could be wrong. All I know is, for me, this realization began emerging the day that I arrived on this resort and embarked on my first safari.

Many of you reading this might be familiar with the story that I often tell about my 3rd grade experience. However, for those of you who are unaware, third grade marks as the most memorable and impactful stage of my childhood. I remember everything about the third grade. I went to a Christian school in Riverside, Ca. I was the happiest kid in the world at that school, mainly, because the entire year I was convinced that I was Simba from the movie, Lion King. My mom bought me the special edition VHS for Christmas, and I was hooked. I watched that movie like 500 times in a row, memorizing every song forwards and backwards; so that when it came to singing in front of classmates, teachers, random parents, etc., it was no problem at all. I was a Simba-pro with a wild and passionate imagination; and, I was thoroughly convinced that I eventually “Be a mighty king.”

Like every other kid, I had many dreams and high expectations for my own life, as a kid. I was going to be a doctor, a lawyer, a pro basketball player, a famous singer, a firefighter, and the president of the United States all at once. However, over the course of growing up, after being forced to leave my beloved Christian school, I became much less confident in my abilities, outside of sport. I had no idea who or what I wanted to be. Moreover, I tried every extracurricular sport or activity I could throughout my adolescence because I felt as if I was missing something, but I didn’t know what.

Up to this point God has allowed me to struggle a little bit, which has caused me to build on my relationship with Him in tremendous ways. From having to deal with battles within an intimate relationship with my ex-girlfriend, to difficulties in adjusting to Canadian culture and education, I have learned a lot in terms of how and why I need God in my life. Still, never in a million years did I imagine that God would go as far as to send me to Africa to encounter wild animals on a safari, in order to teach me a lesson about faith.

This past week, I have encountered wild lions, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, cheetahs, leopards, antelope, kudu, impalas, elephants, monkeys, and more. What is more, I encountered Pride Rock (you know the rock, in The Lion King, where all the animals gather around and Raffiki, first, holds Simba up to his kingdom); an experience, in which, I believe God intended as a way for me to worship Him “like a child,” and re-establish that effortless joy that I had for Him in the third grade.

The safari was more climactic of an experience than anything I could have asked from God. In witnessing the sheer power in the lions eyes and demeanour, and the lurid tremble in his roar; the graceful pace of the giraffe with its tremendous height, which allows it to feed off of the tops of trees; or, the great girth and grandeur of the elephant, I felt completely frozen and submitted to how astounding God’s Creation, truly, is. To think that all of these animals grant full acquiescence to their God-given gifts, which makes them all capable, in their own ways, of living amongst such astonishingly large and powerful beasts was, in one word, extraordinary.

(Sorry, pics were supposed to go here, but they wouldn't load for some reason. I will try again later.)

I have learned quite a bit on this trip; but, in these moments God taught me more than I could have ever anticipated. The main thing was that if I grant full submission to what He has called me to do in my life, and learn to worship Him as I, once, did as a child in third grade, there is no telling how powerful Christ can become in me; thus, sparking the becoming of a lion.

One of the greatest quotes that I have ever heard, I heard in this past week: “Rise and Rise again, until lambs become lions.” As I conclude my trip, thus, concluding my blog, I ask God to continue to shine in me; so that I may, soon, become the young lion warrior that He has called me to be. Likewise, I pray that each of you who have been reading and keeping up with this blog, have been inspired enough to seek out God’s presence and activity in your own lives. I pray that you are able to align your hearts with God’s Will, and grant full submission to what your hearts tell you. I pray that you find the strength and reason to live righteously and that in due time, through your diligence, you encounter a Revelation that will enhance your joy and change your life forever.


“It’s the Circle of life, and it moves the soul
Through despair and hope; through Faith and Love;
Until we find that mountain, on the path unwinding;
in the circle, the Circle of Life (Lion King).”

~Tristan

Day 16- God's Blessings Magnified

Such an amazing experience it was – our visit in Cape Town. There was so much to gain from this past week. My heart is so full. I just hope that I was able to get everything out of it that God intended.

Just to fill you in on the past few days, we finished the coaching portion of our trip this past Wednesday. The townships, or cities, where we coached were amazing. Witnessing the lifestyle and culture of those kids was, honestly, the most inspiring and life-changing discovery that God has ever blessed me enough to recognize.

However, what was equally as magnificent was the beauty of God’s Creation; which is what we chose to acquaint ourselves with over the next few days. Thursday – Sunday consisted of several tours of the Cape Town landscape, where I, my teammates and my coaches, alike, all got the chance to appreciate the beauty of Cape Town from an entirely new perspective.

After our familiarity with the lifestyles among the townships, everything that we encountered encompassed an intensified splendour and majesty. We went to see the Cape of Good Hope, which establishes the most South-Western point of South Africa; we went shark diving with Great Whites; we went to several of the most amazing, white-sand, beaches that I have ever seen....Honestly, I cannot even begin to describe the grandeur of it all; thus, I will just give you a glimpse through several photos:



...I know, right? How amazing, God is. What is crazy is that many of the people that we have encountered at these townships do not even know that these areas exist; moreover, they never get the chance to encounter the magnificence of their country the way that we have in, just, this past week. Looking back to a few days ago, when I wrote about wanting to just take one of the kids with us on the bus, this is what I meant. If I could have taken just one kid with me to see what we had the chance to see, it might have inspired a sense of hope for that kids that could have possibly changed his or her life forever. And, now whenever I pray, I am praying in the direction of each and every one of those kids. He has given me such a strong heart for them; thus, offering me an even stronger respect for humanity. I praise God for How Awesome He truly is. And I look forward to however He plans to build me, as I journey on this safari.

~Tristan

Day 15 - Over 1000 Words

I'm sorry that I did not post anything for yesterday's blog, for those of you who are following. I have been feeling a little under the weather. One of my teammates came down with a bit of a cold and got a bunch of us sick. I still feel a little blah; which is why, instead of writting out my next blog, I have decided to upload some pictures and let you guys have a look at some of the fun we have been having, thus far. I hope you enjoy!

~Tristan

Day 14 - A Song Of Praise

I made another friend. Two, actually. Their names are Michael and Samuel , and they are both ‘Hoops 4 Hope’ coaches. ‘Hoops 4 Hope’ is the organization that helped organize this trip. Founded in Zimbabwe, ‘Hoops 4 Hope’ is an institution which is designed to use sports as a way to give guidance to kids, by teaching them life skills and keeping them off of the streets and away from danger.

Danger is inevitable in South Africa. If not for crime, it is for drug and alcohol abuse, excessive poverty, and that which is even more unpredictable, disease. On our way to our scrimmage yesterday Sam rode in the team van and, at one point, he stood up and addressed everyone about the topic of HIV and how it has affected the communities of S. Africa.

He said that the HIV contagion in S. Africa is primarily caused by a lack of awareness about the disease. Likewise, he said that the use of condoms is such a taboo subject within S. African culture because religions teach against the use of condoms; and, by using condoms many people think that a person is declaring that either he or his partner is unclean. Sam, then, revealed that many kids within his own neighborhood have lost parents to HIV; thus, have been forced to head up families and sustain households at a very young age. Many kids also become sexually active at a very young age, and end up having children during the beginning stages of their adolescence.

His depiction was devastating. Constantly, in North America, we write off HIV as some second-hand disease that we are never going to have to contend with. And, yet, there are people in this world, such as Sam, who are forced to witness and endure the horrors of this disease on a daily basis. Still, there is not much that they can do outside of organizing little camps like the ones we have been coaching at, to provide constructive activity for youth, where they can attain some sense of direction.

However, as Sam put it, “that doesn’t change the fact that when they go home they are, still, not going to have much to do.” The government does very little for small impoverished towns, such as where Sam lives, with regards to the HIV virus. Likewise, there are not many jobs provided for youth within the rural areas of S. Africa; thus, kids become easily attracted to gangs, crime, sex, drugs and alcohol at a very young age.

Coming from me, this all might sound a bit depressing; however, that is exactly what made this experience so intriguing to me. When we were listening to Sam speak about HIV, at no point did it sound like a cry for help. As unfortunate as these circumstances may have seemed at the time, in hindsight, I can only recall how passionate and jovial that Sam was that he is in a position to help and encourage kids in his program. His speech was truly inspiring. Afterwards he taught us a song that he sings with his ‘Hoops 4 Hope’ kids. It was a call and response type of song:

“Leader: Zumbei! A Zum bei, bei, bei.
Response: Yabba, Yabba, Yabba, Yabba, Yabba.
Leader: A bei, bei, bei.
Response: Yabba, Yabba, Yabba, Yabba, Yabba (Repeat)”

As childish as it may seem, the song was amazing. We really had a fun time, and singing it brought life to the bus ride. Michael, then, explained to us how singing is a huge part of the S. African culture. At funerals, they sing; at birthday parties, they sing; during weddings, they sing. S. Africans do not believe in harping over negativity. We took a tour of Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela served his prison sentence for 27 years, and our tour guide had something interesting to say. He said that while he was in prison, he learned that “the one who constructs a negative thought is the first to be consumed by that negative thought.”

I have learned so much from the way that these S. Africans live their lives. There is so much culture here. They sing and dance, while having to survive the worst living conditions. It has truly been a wake-up call for my faith to witness the passion of such an aspiring culture. I feel so empowered. This trip just keeps getting better. Praise God.

~Tristan

Day 13 - Beauty In His Name

“That which draws us to the heart of God is that which often first lifts our own hearts above the mundane, and awakens longing and desire. It is that life...the life of your heart that God is most keenly after.” (Eldridge)

It’s funny how men can be so crazy about a girl, and then reach a point where he no longer, even, wants to speak to her. A girl can be the most beautiful thing that a guy has ever seen; however, given the right circumstance and the right amount of time, a guy will tend to look past that girl in search for beauty of a different sort. This leads me to the question, “what is it about the fresh, new beauty in a girl that guys seem to love so much? When I think about my day yesterday, what I realize is that the same beauty that we seek in finding a girl, whenever we feel that longing or desire, God makes evident in every other aspect of life. We just have to love Him enough to listen and remain observant.

Yesterday was the first day since we left for S. Africa that I could, honestly, proclaim to have placed God at the forefront of every thought. After the completion of my last blog and morning Scripture reading, I felt ready and ambitious to go about my day, walking directly under God’s wing.

The day started at 10am for us; upon which, we all ventured to the top of Cape Town’s infamous Table Top Mountain. The view at the top of the mountain was pure magic; however, what was even more astounding was the process in which God took in revealing, to me, this marvellous creation.

Before we set of for the summit of the mountain, I decided that it would be best for me to ask God to use this experience as a way to speak to me and help me to understand and love Him better. As we began driving up about 200 to 300 meters up the mountain, we could look out on a vast majority of the city. The sight was beautifully situated, and all of my teammates grabbed their cameras and started taking pictures of the landscape. I found myself praising God, already, for blessing me with an opportunity to witness such a sight. However, as we continued up the mountain, I looked up to the road and realized that we had a long way to the top; thus, I became excited. Once we reached about 600 meters we came to a building, where they had sky-lift trolleys that would take us the rest of the way up the mountain. At this point we all got out of the vehicle, which we had been traveling in, and again the cameras began snapping away. The city landscape was now magnified and you could see the entire northern portion of Cape Town, including the city harbour and the Atlantic Ocean. It was a gorgeous sight to see; so, again, I began silently praising God for creating such a masterpiece.

To be honest, once we got to this point, I wasn’t expecting much more. The city of Cape Town is, generally, one big cluster located along the front side of Table Top Mountain; thus, I didn’t think there would be much else to see. As we took the trolley up the mountain, however, we could witness the gradual extension of the entire land. I was mesmerized by the scene, and in a meditative state, I heard a voice in the back of my head: “It’s beautiful isn’t it.” I was talking to myself; at least, I thought I was until I looked up in the direction that the trolley was moving, to the mountaintop, and I heard another voice: “Would you like to see more?”

We exited the trolley and went through a small building, down a hallway, and past a small cafe until we were on the surface of the mountain. My heart dropped. At the base of the mountain, you would think that there was nothing but a completely flat terrain of dirt and sand (it is called Table Top Mountain because the top of the mountain appears to be a perfectly flat and horizontal surface from the base perspective). However, there were hills and valleys at the top with bushes and wildlife that blew me away. I looked to one of the hills leading higher up the mountain’s peak, and again heard, “Would you like to see more?” And, as I walked up and reached the top of the hill, the mountain seemed endless. I approached the edge on the backside of the mountain, and there it was – the entire backside of Cape Town, with miles upon miles of white sand beaches leading down to the glorious Cape Point.

It was at this point that I realized what God had been doing this entire time. I had been opening up, trying to get closer to God; and, all the while, He was pursuing me by continually revealing His endless love through His boundless Creation. I became speechless – All this time I wanted to feel God’s presence. It was at this point, however, that I realized that I was being romanced into understanding that God’s love surrounds us. We just have to ask Him to speak to us, listen, and observe.

I left Table Top Mountain with a revelation that life is not all about the struggle and the fight. Much of life is merely about God, trying to romance us and reveal His love for us. Moreover, if we can tap into how God wishes to reveal all the beauty that He provides for our lives; then we might strive to become more intimate with Him, and have a better understanding of the beauty that we seek in women, cars, careers, etc. – we will begin to realize how, even, the beauty that we seek in the things of this world that we use to replace God, all stem from God.

We went to the slums today and it was a very interesting way to confirm how we sometimes place far too much emphasis on our struggles. The people in these areas, within the Eastern parts of Cape Town live in houses that are, primarily, made of scrap metal, and are slightly larger than the blue dumpsters that are located in most alleyways and behind office buildings within our American/Canadian communities. There were no paved roads, and most of the kids that were at the camps that we coached did not have shoes to play in. Still, there were about 100-150 jubilant young souls, jumping, singing, dancing, shouting and cheering as we entered the camp site. Moreover, driving through the city, kids were running along the sides of the van, as older gentlemen would tip their hats and give us the thumbs-up. Everyone in the community seemed genuinely happy, and unperturbed that many of them might not eat during dinnertime, or have new clothes to change into the next morning.

I have never seen a group of people so humbled and so grateful; so disciplined and obedient; and, so passionate about their culture. On the way home I could hardly say a word. Through my experience today, I had seen beauty in its rawest form, and my heart was so full that I could have cried. I passed out as many clothes as I could stuff into a small bag, and it broke my heart that it wasn’t enough to clothe the entire community. And, still, they sang. They sang and all the way until we were on the van and leaving; and as I looked out the back window of the van, I could see them running earnestly after us as my teammates and I waved back to them, wishing that we could each grab just one hand of one kid and take them with us.

God blessed me today with an opportunity to realize how important it is to seek True beauty in life – that is, beauty that allows us to effect and impact people around us in a Christ-like manner, helping us to become more and more intimate with God. Luckily, I was able to do this for, at least one kid for sure. His name is Boné (Bon-knee). Boné is one of the teenage coaches at the Hoops for Hope organization in Africa, who talked to me about how I got to where I am today; more importantly, he asked me questions about how to make an impact as a role model for the young kids who look up to him. Boné is a great kid with a beautiful heart. We exchanged contact information, and I promised Boné that I will email him, even, when I am home about how to use God and scripture as a tool for becoming a great leader. I was truly blessed when Boné told me that he wanted to become my close friend, and for me to be his mentor. Furthermore, I praise God for giving me the strength and trusting me to to take on such a great task in His name, and for enhancing my ministry by one.

~ Tristan

Day 12 - Back In Action/ What a Start

Sorry for the delay. We have A LOT of catching up to do. This is a post that I wrote out on the plane on my way in to S. Africa last night. I have spent time typing it out today; so I won't be able to post today's blog until later tonight. We have a lot to talk about....

Looking back to last Thursday, I must explain what I would have done differently. Through my countless interactions with spiritual helpers, God warned me that I would be tested; thus, advising me to “remain focused in Him, and give way to nothing.”
Rather than saying, “Do not give way to certain things in particular”, God told me to give way to “nothing.” This makes so much sense now because, at the start of this trip, I had no clue what to anticipate. I put all of my faith in the idea that God would protect me against the enemy; however, when it came to the little things such as asking God for advanced words of advice on how to speak to people, or praying prior to stepping out, I failed to include God. Caught up in the thrill of unknown beauty that I found in visiting Europe for the first time I became distracted from my communication with God (pastor Banks warned me before I left to “make sure I stayed all prayed up”). Thus, accordingly, the enemy came at me from all sides with weapons drawn; and, I was hit with everything, but the kitchen sink.

My computer died the minute I set foot in my Amsterdam hotel room, and when I went to charge it I realized that i needed a converter plug because European outlets consist of two horizontal plug holes; hence my charger did now work. Likewise, once I was able to get my hands on the proper adapter, I was informed that the hotel did not offer free wireless internet access – you had to purchase an access code. Rather than paying the fee, I assumed that this was a sign from God that I was not to continue my blog until after I had witnessed and experienced Amsterdam; although, at no point, did I ever consult God in the process of developing such an assumption.
All that I wanted was to go out and see everything that the city had to offer. I was aware of how dangerous and how dark the city could be, but, again, I didn’t ask God what He thought of this. Instead, of asking God if it was His time for me to step out, or if He had any words of Wisdom for me to cling on to and use, I sought the adventure in being in a new place and figured that we had enough guys, thus, we would be okay. My teammates and I went and saw some of the most beautiful scenes and heard some of the most beautiful accents; still, in the midst of all the beauty, we were naive about how vulnerable we, actually, were. Moreover, as night fell, God allowed for us to be tested. Our first evening in Amsterdam, my teammates and I encountered what the locals referred to as, “the gypsies”.

We were hanging out in a local park, about a single block from our hotel, when the first gypsy arrived. He was about 5’9” tall and originally from Morocco. At first, we assumed that he was just a lonely old drunkard, looking to make new friends. He was loud and chanting in a language that we could not comprehend. He was funny, at first. He asked each of us where we were from; to which, each of us responded with a name of a random country in Africa. It became a game for us to see just how many names of African countries that we, actually, knew off of the tops of our heads. What is more, each time we would name a country, the man would give us some crazy response such as, “Nigeria! We cut legs off there!”He would then repeat his Moroccan chant, and give each of us this frequent and awkward look, where he would tilt his head back, raise one eyebrow and widen both eyes like it was a Michael Jackson, thriller scene. He was a bizarre individual, but his expressions had us all in stitches, laughing. We indulged in the humor of the situation for about ten minutes before three others showed up. They were his friends – all of them drunk and repeating the same Moroccan chant – and things started to get a bit sketchy.

I made eye contact with each of my teammates, at some point, within the next thirty seconds, and we all knew to stay tight together and to keep our space and watch our pockets. The initial guy continued giving us stares; however, now things were not so funny. It took about fifteen minutes of making no eye contact with the gypsies before they became so distracted within their little group that we were able to get away safely. Later that night, however, my teammate Jacob and I encountered more gypsies on our way back to the hotel, and we were both pick-pocketed. Jacob got his wallet stolen, and I lost my camera.

It wasn’t until morning that I realized I had been robbed. I even remember when and how it happened; however, all I could hear was the Holy Spirit telling me, “I told you that you would be tested. I told you that you would be tested.” Moreover, after considering how I never even sought advice from God, I could not even be mad – what had transpired was my own fault.

At this point, I smartened up and decided to ask God what He meant for me to get out of this situation. I asked Him, “How do I respond to this?” I looked to the story of Jesus, when He encountered Satin in the wilderness. Rather than treating Satin’s temptations on Jesus as weaknesses within his own spiritual construct; rather than trying to ignore Satin, Jesus confronts Satin like a normal human being, taking authority over him through the use of Scripture. Jesus is not afraid; moreover, He is not passive.

Following this model, I decided that the best possible thing for me to do was not to be discouraged. I decided that what God was calling me to do was to engage the enemy, and to lean on Scripture as a way to withstand temptation. And, here is when I even got the kitchen sink thrown at me.

We decided, the next day, to take a stroll down to the Red Light District, and man was Satan’s presence ever felt. There were drug dealers everywhere, trying to sell us cocaine, bouncers trying to lure us into sex shows and countless prostitutes standing in windows, trying to lure us into sex cabins. One lady even labelled us as “the gay parade” when we refused her, as she poked her head outside of her door. We were knee deep in the enemies territory, walking through what was, honestly, the creepiest scene that I have ever been in. All the while we were like magnets – each player had a high regard for the next. Though we were all a bit nervous this might have been the best bonding experience for our team, in that we were truly able to see just how much we all care about each other.

However, through what I encountered in the District, God revealed to me a level of passivity that I was not aware of. I froze up in the midst of such darkness to the point where I became so nervous and paranoid that I could hardly speak. All I wanted to do was leave. We are called to resist Satin; to withstand all attacks of the enemy, using Scripture to verbally claim our victory in the name of Jesus. It has been only a night in South Africa. My teammates and I stepped out only to get a bite to eat; and, already, that the Spirit of the enemy has shown to be even more intense here. I must work to activate the Christ-like warrior within me. There is much work to be done here.

“Father, you are a great Warrior, and I am made in your image. I am your son, and a warrior, too. Open my eyes to see how you have been developing the warrior in me. Show me where I have misinterpreted or failed to include you in what has happened in my life. Give me the strength and resolve to rise up and accept my warrior training. And when I am losing heart, give me your grace and encouragement to hang in there, all the way through to victory. In Jesus name.” (Eldridge)


~Tristan