June 29, 2005 Letter

It is very hard to believe that our team has been home in Colorado for almost a week now, but here we are and our days tick by. I had mixed emotions as we departed from Johannesburg; on one hand I deeply missed my wife and family and longed to be home with those who are dearest to me, but on the other hand had a difficult time departing from Africa, which I grew to love with its people in a way that I never imagined would be so vivid in my life. For many on our team, departing was like rending a garment as our hearts had been knit closely to a people that are so precious to us now. Faces, names, and people will be permanently impressed upon each of our memories, thoughts, and prayers. Thank you again for your prayers this past few months. Please continue to pray for us as we adjust back to life in the United States and continue in ministry here and please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in South Africa.

As for the last week, the rest of our trip went very well with not too many surprises. We drove back from Pilanesburg on Thursday morning, cleaned the Grace House one more time, visited the work site one more time (and found another interior wall was already up), enjoyed a nice meal from Kentucky Fried Chicken, and departed for the airport. Quite honestly, I've never been in such a chaotic airport; apparently, we hit rush hour parking, and rush hour security. The first entrance we went to was wall to wall people with lines going in five directions and a rock concert taking place in the middle of the corridor. Thankfully, we were able to back out and find the British Airways entrance which was much less busy, but we still took a couple hours to get through customs and security. After the chaos of checking in, we found a small restaurant tucked in the back of the airport and enjoyed a quiet dinner together for our last meal in Africa.

The first flight was dark and gave us plenty of time to sit back and get some sleep. In London, we didn't have as much time as we thought, but we took advantage of the layover and visited the British Museum for an hour or so. Viewing the biblical artifacts was especially exciting for several of us, particularly for the historians of our group (I won't bore everyone with all the pictures, but for those into archaeology and history, I'll be uploading photos on my other website soon. Click here.) Afterwards, we rushed to the airport and our plane left at 3:50 pm. We taxied into Denver at 6:30 pm Mountain Standard Time. Other than having our Mopani worms inspected at agricultural customs and Ken being questioned because of his 'British' last name (Blair), getting through the rest of the airport was pretty uneventful.

We're all home now and getting over the jetlag. Sunday was a wonderful opportunity to share with our home church what God is doing in our lives as well as a few slides.

In closing, I can't thank everyone enough for your many prayers before the Throne of Grace. Thank you for your support, your sacrificed resources, and your time spent e-mailing us all in South Africa. South Africa 2005 was truly a blessed opportunity and we will never be the same after the work God has continued in us through this ministry. Thanks for being a part of it with us. May God bless each of you and your families as you serve Him and seek His face.

                                    God's Grace to you all,

                                    Jeff Niles