Perspective: Looking Through a Different Set of Binoculars.

Have you ever tried looking through two rolls of toilet paper and pretend they were binoculars? :)

I am overwhelmed with emotion as I write this.

The sense of a thrilling combination of peace, love, and joy rooted in the blessings from the Lord fills me to my most inner being.

Life is now viewed from a different lens. Everything. Literally, everything. From choosing to intentionally wait in line at the grocery store to have an excitement of a potential connection with the cashier checker; or try to connect with a woman you walk passed through a simple smile; or heck, maybe even park in the back of the lot not fighting for the closest open spot because somewhere in the world, life is different. Think about it. Somewhere, there is one person who has walked many miles to receive the one portion of food they will have for the day. You, on the other hand (between your nine-to-five and hot Valentines date tonight) you just pop in to the store to get a quick box of her favorite candy and maybe her favorite bouquet of flowers--the flowers are my weakness by the way if anyone is wanting to know! ;)                Well now this presents an issue. A heart issue, for me anyway. Alright, here it goes: I believe God has deliberately put me here where I am in this moment. He chose the time, the country, the decade.. everything. He gave me life in Colorado (which, I may add, is something to be quite proud of due to the fact of the level of that state’s exceeding amount of awesomeness). He chose to make me into the being that I am. He created me. Why? Well that’s an entirely different question I think about every day that I breathe. But I have seen different lifestyles, if you will. I have been wonderfully blessed enough to experience life through different lenses. Being in the shoes of the woman, not just figuratively speaking now, who actually does have to make that long, hot, grueling walk to the market on the other side of the village, of the city! Oh boy, oh boy. Let me tell you! (Talkin’ like I live in the south or somethin crazy like that) It changes you. You begin to think differently.

            This is how I have learned to live life in Africa and the Navajo Reservation regardless of where I may find myself geographically. Life is different where ever you find yourself, I believe. Life is lived differently on the East Coast than the West Coast, or if you are South African I should say the Eastern Cape and Western Cape. ;) Plain and simple! Matter of fact if ya ask me. However, I have begun learning the common denominators now having experienced so many different cultures and lifestyles and people in such a short amount of time. Man oh man does this change my perspective. I love it, but I am also overwhelmed by the incredible amount of positive response these actions and this mindset are having on my life.

You could choose from a few different options. You could have picked up three or four small items at Walmart. You know what American society has taught us? Efficiency, quickness, convenience. None of this things are bad things, proportionally of course. Does our country seem to be one of proportionality? I personally think not. Lets not get into politics..this is my blog, my thoughts. I would just like to clarify that is my purpose of writing these crazy thoughts for people to see. (That is what these are, my thoughts. For me to process, for you to enjoy, and to watch what happens as a result. I do respect anyone’s differing opinion and do not wish to force my own opinion and experience on anyone.) We are a society and culture that focus on ‘me,’ ‘I,’ ‘great,’ and ‘fast.’ C’mon people. Lets not live that way. We miss out on so much if that’s how we experience our lives! Im sayin.

Instead of instinctively choosing to go to the self check-out, intentionally choose to wait in the long line so you could maybe connect in someway with the cashier working. The cashier that has three young children at home, they are working two jobs and trying to provide for a family. Or maybe a young woman who is the only girl in her mechanics class. She has been doing so well in school, they are giving her two days off of class! Wow! The guys in her class give her a hard time sayin she is cheating. Its not true, but man does it make this woman happy to be telling someone all this! To be telling that one person that deliberately chose to wait in that woman’s line, rather than be efficient and quick by using the self-check out.

I speak from experience when I say practice patience. Don’t always take the easiest route. Take yourself out of your comfort zone. Step out in faith. That is when God shows off.

In summary, I have begun a journey of learning what it means to #liveyourmission.

Now think about that. What does that mean? Oh let me tell you. Firstly, it’s a ‘slogan,’ a saying if you will, that represents the mentality behind a ministry that is near and dear to my heart: Experience Mission. (experiencemission.org) Because God crossed my path with theirs, my eyes have been opened to see life like Christ and now I am madly in love with Jesus. Secondly, to me it means something wonderful. No matter who you are, you don’t have to travel to Central Asia or Africa or Mexico for a mission trip. Neither do I. There are opportunities around you every single day. Open your eyes. You’ll begin to see. Look around for a place to volunteer. Disability center? Learning center? Old age home? Soup kitchen? Goodwill? School? Sports team? Church? If you don’t want to go that route, try speaking with and engaging with the old security guard at the bank, or the lady at the gym, or the little kid in line in front of you. You don’t think that makes a difference in their day? Or how about it yours? Believe it or not, (#ripleys) it has the potential to have massive impact. Nike. Just do it. It has truly been life changing. Choosing to be intentional about the small things in life make everything in life better and louder and more colorful. Live a ‘mission trip’ where God is calling you now. Reach out to those he has directly, lovingly, and mindfully placed around you. If he blesses you with the ability to travel to do such a lovely thing.. GO FOR IT. But until then, don’t just let your ‘love switch’ be in the off position. Turn that thing on, and love a little on everyone around you.

Should I dare go as far as to challenge you with this for your next 7 days? Eh, why not? Try it, and I would love to hear any stories that you experience by taking this on.

Cheers.

More thoughts to come soon.

Snapshot

Meet Rachel from South Dakota, Mary Kate from Illinois, Anna from Georgia, Chelsey from Texas, Shane from Texas, Rachel from Pennsylvania, and Emily from Michigan!

Time on the Rez was awesome! It always is. Together, the team and I (for those of you who don’t know, I am involved in the same program that I was last year, but with a spin this time around! I am not only a part of the team again, but I am now leading the 2013 Navajo-Africa Immersion Team) quickly fell in love. We had a lot of different opportunities to learn about the culture. We got to join in on a traditional dance festival, visit multiple ruins, and adventure and hike around God’s beautiful and unique creation on the Navajo Nation. It’s a distinct culture. Learning more and more about the deep roots of the Navajo people and specific families was beyond fascinating. We worked in different areas of New Mexico and even travelled to Arizona to work alongside and learn about the people involved with some of the churches the Experience Mission is partnered with. Through those churches, we built countless relationships that are burning and alive in our hearts even now. We led a few different Vacation Bible Schools and grew in a lot of ways through the challenges we saw in some of the kiddos’ lives. Our hearts constantly are reminded of our time with the kids in Whiterock and those in Farmington at Many Waters Mission that we had the amazing opportunity to live with. We learned a lot about the Navajos from our time in Bisti with Roger Deal Memorial Baptist Church, too. Pastor Leroy and his amazing wife, Rhonda, took us under their wing on top of all of the things going on in their home and church life. What a blessing it was to reunite with them! God is so good and drew me closer in daily reliance on him through our 4 weeks on the Reservation.

 

 

 

On August 2^nd, the eight of us hopped on a plane from Albuquerque, to Dallas, for a pit stop in London, and finally landed in Johannesburg, South Africa. Our layover in London was long, so we decided to invest in a ride on the tube into the city! We were so unbelievably blessed with beautiful whether. Sightseeing was a must for the seven of us that had never been to England. It was AWESOME. I admit, I hate being a tourist, I hate feeling like a tourist, I hate looking like a tourist, but sometimes…ya just gotta! And we did. It was so fun. We sat and had crepes in a park, then walked ourselves all over until we were satisfied. The extra stamp on our passports was a plus, too!

 

Once we landed in South Africa, our community leader, Hein Van Wyk, his wife Helene, and their son Daneiko surprised us with an afternoon, evening, and morning on a game reservation! We got to see animals I have only seen in the Lion King! And some I have never even heard of. Staying at Camp Discovery was an amazing way to start out the trip Africa Style!

 

 

Then, the team went through Worldview training that Hein travels all over the continent of Africa sharing with countless churches and conference centers. It truly is a blessing having such a wise man of God guiding us through our time here.  After our bodies had finally adjusted to the eight hour time change, we began planning and preparing ourselves for the weeks to come. We also got to meet and stay with our host families! For the first few weeks, I am living with the Fouries. I have a wonderful host mom named Lindi and her husband Phillip. I also have two little brothers! I have always wanted to be a big sister, and now I am! Wesli is 19 and about to finish his final year in high school. Graham is 17, 6’3” tall, weighing about 210 lbs. They are huge! It really has been so much fun getting to know them and what makes them tick. God set me up just right- they have a small obsession with motorcycles and dirtbikes. Needless to say, we have lots of fun together. We are all living in a small city called Centurion, which is a suburb, if you will, of Pretoria which lies just outside of Johannesburg. We are on the northern and eastern side of the country, look it up! J Then, we daily travel 15 minutes to a squatter camp area called Olievenhoutbosch (pronounced Oh-leave-en-hote-bosh). There we are working alongside two different organizations, Olievenhoutbosch Disability Center and Olievenhoutbosch Christian School. In addition to working at OCS, we join in on helping with the after school program called Faith Hope and Trust where volunteers become mentors for the grade one to grade four students in the school. We also have days that we visit an old age home just down the road from the school. We will also be participating in different programs going on at the Senior Center throughout the weeks.

This first week, though, was a great one for me! I had the opportunity to work at OCS. I helped Ma’am Rose teach her class of 16 grade zero students (equivalent to kindergarten). Ah! And it was so fun. The five and six year olds were learning about their shapes this week. We also reviewed the colors, numbers, and days of the week that they have learned thus far in their school year. We had so much fun together! Its amazing to see how quickly their brains soak in different information. I really enjoyed being a part of the start of something amazing. Having the opportunity to get to know the teachers has been a blessing as well. To see their dedication in reaching out to these kids is inspiring; the mentors too! They range from 19-30 years old and are full of energy and full of life! All of this they use to pour over the students that attend the Christian school as well as furthering their knowledge, skills, and personal walk with the Lord. We had a lot of fun singing, dancing and laughing with the kids. Each day we also have a special time in the word, its amazing to grow alongside of them in faith. I am so look forward to continue in getting to know them more as weeks go on. God is doing big things in them and through them.. towards the students and towards me.

 

This is Innocent! He has become my little shadow at OCS. We were continuing learning about numbers, counting, and colors with blocks.

Here is a picture of Ma'am Rose, me, and some of the kids in her grade zero class showing off their drawings for the day.

 

There will be lots more stories and more details to come, but I wanted to include you all in a brief overview of what things have been like! 

The Greatest of These is Love

My, my, my how time has flown by. As I write, I am sitting on the porch of the hotel we are staying at in Phoenix, Arizona. I am wearing pants, a long sleeved shirt, and wrapped up in a down comforter. Not only has the weather drastically changed from summer to winter, but so has the scenery and the noises that I hear. I lookout to a parking lot full of nice, expensive, shiny cars and hear trucks and busses accelerate to pass each other on the highway off in the distance. I also heard something of the sort as I wrote posts in Moheles Hoek, Lesotho, however, the pitch of the engines was different- cheaper. They sounded more like toy cars compared to the deep, loud rumble I hear now. I don't hear horns of dozens of taxis honking every thirty eight seconds announcing that they have open seats. I don't hear conversations being carried on in a crazy cool language that I can't understand. I hear english. I don't hear music blasting with a fun beat that makes me want to dance in the seat I'm sitting in. As crazy and sometimes stressful as those moments would feel- they make me smile. They always will.

My last two and a half or so weeks in Lesotho were days that I will hold very dear to my heart. It was in that time that I began to feel almost like one of the resident students at Growing Nations. There was something that made it so easy and unbelievably fun to get closer with Lefa, Mpho, Zanelle, Mapei, Molibeti, Mpho, and Maedwerd. Maybe it was because we were close in age. I am a whopping 20 years old, believe it or not- sometimes it doesn't quite feel like it to me. They range from the ages of 19 to 30. Maybe it was because we had some of the same passions. When I was with them, we did a lot of laughing. We also played countless card games. I taught them one of my favorite, Kemps, and they taught me an improved version of Crazy Eights. Who knew that one of the games I grew up playing my whole childhood I would now be playing with a group of my Basotho friends in a country I hadn't known of before the year 2012? Maybe it was because we all had the drive to learn. Walking into this entire experience, I knew very little about farming. I had no idea there were multiple methods, how important crop rotation is, and how great the impact of farming God's way with high standards can have on an entire country. I was completely clueless. As a matter of fact, I was completely clueless that I was completely clueless. (Say that five times fast!) Through my time with them, not only did I have the amazing opportunity to learn, but they had the opportunity to teach me. I can't imagine that any Basotho would assume that sometime in their lifetime they would be able to teach some rich, white American how to do something as readily important as farming. Now, can you imagine what kind of self worth, what kind of dignity, what kind of hope that gave these students? Just like in Vredendal and Mocuba, the racial barriers are too high to see over, even if I got on an eight-foot ladder. But through this relationship building process, those walls came down low enough that I could step over that darn wall and onto thier side. I want my friends to see that there is no reason for sides. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image. (Psalms 139:14)

Family, friends, loved strangers- that is exactly what this entire trip from the Navajo Reservation to South Africa to Mozambique to Lesotho has been about. It wasn't about giving out gifts or candies, or building a church, or hitting people over the head with a Bible, or converting as many people as possible. No. The tally marks don't matter; but the love within relationships is what truly matters. I can tell you first hand that loving and being loved in return is loads more precious than the undeniable, rewarding feeling of giving that single mom a few hundred bucks to get through the Christmas season. She may feel like she needs that money or that pat on the back- you may feel like she needs it, and you know what, maybe she really does. But love and relationship with a person who doesn't feel worthy is worth more than any amount of money some one could dream up. This is how Jesus lived his life walking among us- the unworthy sinners. Whether you love God and have chosen to give your life to him or not, there is no better way to live life than out of love.

Good times, Great People, Gorgeous Place

Oh the adventure of getting where I am sitting is even more exciting than last time! Katie, Mark, Cassandra, and I woke up early to walk the 20 minute walk to catch the taxi at the rock pile. Well, one taxi went by- it was full. We sat and waited (and laughed and danced a little) for another hour before we heard a van in the distance that we were hoping was a taxi-it was! We got up, brushed the dust off and were ready to hop on! Oh, wait, it was full. Out of frustration and a little bit of laughter at the situation, we decided to begin to take the journey head on and walk. We had been walking for just under and hour when a small army of children began to follow us, ask us questions, and tell us how beautiful we are for another thirty minutes or so. What a funny picture that must have been! We then realized that our ambitions of being proactive in walking to the town of Moehles Hoek were too high of a goal. I asked the man of our group, Mark the bodyguard, if we were allowed to ask the next little white pick up that drove by if they would drive us into town. He gave me his permission. About ten minutes later one came driving up! We hopped in the back with the other four Besotho men and were on our 30 minute drive down the mountain. To our understanding, it is illegal to have white people in the back of trucks, so we were expecting to be dropped of once we got into city limits. There are usually police waiting there to check the cars for random and pointless things-but no! Not this time. Score! Every time we came to a hill, with the harsh winding smacking us and the cold rain pelting our faces, we were nervous that there would be a checkpoint- but no. Not a single one! It was totally God's favour that we made it all the way here with out any run-ins with the law. Praise him for that.

These last two weeks spent with my host family have been quite wonderful. There was a Father (which is something that is not common around here), a mother, Mapei 22, Dineo 19, Itumeleng 16, Ntsebeng 12, Makhakhe 8, and Keneuoe 5, as well as Thabang, a 17 year old cousin of the family that has lived there nearly his whole life. The culture of the people of Lesotho is unique. Compared to (which I do not like to do, for the record) Mozambique, these people have so much. I was almost a little shocked when I learned of some of the conveniences that they have. But then I began to think about my life..and my house.. oy was I humbled. The house I stayed in had three different areas, rooms if you will. One area was where they (my mother and three sisters) kept all of their kitchen supplies and did much of the cooking and where a few of them would sleep. Another area was where my parents and the rest of the family would sleep and store the majority of their belongings.Then there was the room where Kaity (the girl on my team that I was paired with because there are almost twice as many of us than there are resident students) and I slept along with the table that we ate most of our meals at. The two of us did almost everything together, including sharing the twin bed, the family's only bed. We ate well. Close to five meals every day. Each meal consisted of a large portion of rice, homemade bread, or pappa (which is pretty much just a stiff starch of a food-I will most a picture later). They would often times pair that with some type of cooked greens or maybe scrambled eggs. We had a very simple diet, but it really was delicious food.
We got to help Mapei a little on his fields. I wish we could have done more work, but because of the lack of manure and the ground being too hard to dig, we were kind of at a stand-still. However, we still learned a lot and even got to help his family plant other gardens. The gardens in his "front yard" were beautiful. I know that where ever it is that I live next- I WILL have a garden like that- and I WILL plant God's way. In addition to the gardens, the had a few different stable areas to hold their dozen cattle, twenty sheep, and few chickens. They also had a few ducks waddling around. Funny story-it started out with five..but oh wait. I got to help SLAUGHTER one!!!! So now they have four. Ohhh was it nasty. Ducks have a lot of feathers. A lot. Mr. Quackers sure did taste good though! It was a huge honor that they chose to do that for us during our stay. I also milked a cow for the first time. Yup. Yes I did. And it was awesome. I did good. It was weird that there was a huge sore on its side that was right in front of my face-but I tried to ignore that and focus on the utters. That was on my bucket list though-I am pretty excited I got to cross it off- in Africa!
While we were with him we also did a lot of walking and hiking. Seeing God's creativity in his creation blows my mind every single day, almost every single hour. The Kingdom of Lesotho is absolutely gorgeous- like nothing I have ever seen. I even got to see dinosaur footprints! I also got to go fishing for a whole day. What an adventure. I didn't catch anything- but the experience and the company made it well worth it.
There are many, many stories I could write about for hours, but unfortunately my time in the internet cafe is about to expire. I guess I will just have to sit down and tell you them in person. I can't wait! I have pictures. Lots of pictures.
God is good. So good.
Pray for the path he has in front of me though, please. There are some great things he has laid in front of me, and I want to go where he wants me to be! I just don't know what that is yet. 

A Glimpse at God's Way

After a twenty minute walk to a taxi station made up of a small pile of rocks, a forty minute wait, a forty-five minute taxi ride, and a ten minute walk, I am finally here in an internet cafe and able to write a few thoughts down! This first week here in the Kingdom of Lesotho has been absolutely incredible. The scenery is completely breathtaking. I really, really, really have missed the mountains of Colorado, so the mountains here are a sweet thing to be surrounded by. I cannot wait to post pictures of this part of His Creation that has swept me off of my feet. The partners that we are involved with here are just as awesome. We are working alongside a group of people that are striving to change Africa's way of farming community by community, country by country. The idea of plowing has been instilled in the hearts and minds of the people here. However, this method is tearing the land apart. It has increased the terrible problem of erosion in the area. I will be able to go into further detail about specifics of how and why later, but there a much better way of farming has been discovered- Farming God's Way. This consists of three main components: Don't plow, crop rotation, and covering 100% of the land with mulch. The University of Tennessee is one of the partners in Growing Nation's (the name of our partnering organization) hope to scientifically prove how this method is drastically better than what the Basotho (pronounced Ba-soo-too, the natives of the country of Lesotho) have been taught for hundreds of years. We have been studying the facts and the method itself and it is beyond obvious how farming this way can improve all of life for not only Lesotho, but Africa as a continent. It is an unbelievable honor to be included in the work the Lord has begun in this place.
This week was a really nice week of work as well. As a team, we have been helping build a home for a couple partnered with Growing Nations that is assisting us in our itinerary for our time here. There has been a lot of digging, but I have had the amazing opportunity to put my Hilton Engineering skills to work and help with the plumbing, paneling, and eventually tiling of the house! It is so fun to see the way that God puts pieces of the puzzle together with out us even having an idea.
These next two weeks, however, are going to look a little different. Growing Nations has started a resident student program. Young adults from the community enroll in a year long program that teaches them exactly what it means and what it takes to farm God's way. This includes them staying at the property that we have been staying at for weeks at a time, and then going back out to their communities and villages to teach them this method. Well now, we get to go with them! I have been assigned a host brother; his name is Mapei (pronounced Ma-bay). We will be living in a community called Majakaneng. He is shy, but has begun to warm up to my silly sense of humor and ability to laugh at almost every situation. He is the oldest of seven kids! He has three brothers, and three sisters. I am so excited to meet them! I will be assisting him in fertilizing and planting seed and learning how to live life like a Basotho!
I am so in love with this place and in love with the work that God has set out before me.
Pray for good rain, we need it here!

There's Only 1 Race: The Human Race.

Sooo..I had to say good bye to my family in Mozambique. Not “I will see you next week,” or, “I will see you soon,” or even, “I will see you in the next couple of years!” No, I had to say good bye. It was hard. It felt so strange. I have been living with these wonderful people for nearly six weeks then it felt like all of a sudden it was over and done with. Before I had to, however, I had a really sweet moment with my [host] mom. Prior to traveling into Mozambique, we had a day of shopping in a mall just outside of Johannesburg and as a team, we chose to purchase a pair of tennis shoes for each one of our host moms and then reveal the gift during our last week with them. I figured it was a thoughtful and nice idea, but it didn’t mean much to me at that time. Man- it started kicking in when I started to get closer and closer with my family. My mom and her six children chair approximately 4 pairs of flip flops. One of my brothers has an old, ripped pair of white sneakers only to wear with his school uniform but other than that, those are the only shoes they own. It makes me feel a little ridiculous thinking of how many pairs of shoes I have waiting to be worn in my closet back home. For the most part, they walk around bare foot- unless it is the hottest part of the day-between 12:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon-when the sand is hot enough to give my feet blisters, or if they need to walk somewhere to fetch water, go to the market, or visit a friend or neighbor’s home. (I have tried to walk barefoot when they do, and only wear shoes when they do, so my radical Chaco tan lines have realllly faded). The concept of giving my mom a pair of shoes- specially sized and chosen for her- is such a huge change in what they are used to. It’s hard to describe how special that moment was when I got to crouch down, loosen the laces, and slip them onto her feet. With a big grin on her face, she said she would go to the market the next day. Bernadette, our community partner, made the all of the mother’s biscuits with jam, which they never get the opportunity to eat something as extravagant as that, and cups of cold juice- such a treat when all you drink is well water that is as hot as the day is. I felt so small but so full of joy when I got to sit next to her for the last time and look at the black and purple sneakers I bought just for her while she slowly consumed the rare delicacies. Right before we hugged one last time, she took the tennis shoes off because, as she said, she didn’t want to get them dirty on the walk home! She loved them! She was so happy- so proud.

I, along with the rest of the team, have made it a vital priority not to give things to the people we meet in the communities we live in. Giving is not a bad thing-it is a wonderful thing; I have just experienced that in this exact situation. But what I have to offer is far better than whatever it is the people are asking for-God’s love and His love through me; that is why I am here on this trip. Not to see how many hundreds of people I can convert or to give money where I think that it is needed. Often times when I think money or objects are needed, they might not be. We as Westerners believe when something is broken- it must be fixed, or when something isn’t as productive and efficient as possible- we have to make it better! But that is not the case! Life isn’t lived like that here. It is lived from a completely different perspective and world view. And it works. If we try to come in and push or give our ways of thinking on these people- it does them no good to allow them to learn and grow and thrive on their own. Like the wonderful saying, “If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. But if you teach a man to fish, he will eat for life.” Not only do these thoughts go along with giving, but they go along with teaching. My way isn’t always the best way. Even though doing something a certain way may work perfectly in the United States that does not mean it will work best for the people and environments here. It is been a continuous struggle seeing the little that the people I have been surrounded by live with and what seems to be ineffectiveness or lack of efficiency in their work. If I could just give them this, or give them that, if I could just buy them a whole new wardrobe so they don’t have to wear the same thing week after week, if I could show them that if they fetched water this way, or walked this path back home-it would save time, or if I could just sponsor their food portions for a week..a month..a year-their life would be better, right? Well, it could be in some ways. No doubt about that. I know they would be happy- who wouldn’t? But by doing these things, it continues to build the wall higher..and higher..and higher. I am talking about the wall between white and black. In their (the ‘poor’ African’s) mind, there is an undeniable stigma between races. This is something I did not prepare myself for coming into this trip. In the Western World, we have Racism- there is no denying that. But Racism here is like nothing I have ever seen before. To try to put the severity of this issue into a few paragraphs is asking too much, I could continue on for quite some time. Here is one example: they think that because we are white that God will hear us when we pray, bless us when we ask, and just plain love; but because they are black God does not hear them when they pray, He does not bless them, and He does not love them. They believe lies like that with their entire being. It breaks my heart. They think that since I am white I am pretty and because they are black they are ugly..hideous. Are you kidding me?! They are BEAUTIFUL. I even trained..haha..my littlest sister, Lucia (2), to scream, “Bonita!!” after every time I said her name. She got the hang of it..and even started yelling it after I would say our other sisters’ names, or after saying Mama. (Bonita=beautiful). I think they finally got the idea with how gorgeous I think they all are. Again, I don’t want anyone to think I am saying that giving is a bad thing- I am just saying that sometimes, the wrong help can do a lot more damage than good. So when I got to build up my mom solely with our friendship and love, and then got to bless her with a gift- it was a beautiful thing. It wasn’t that I just handed her something I thought she needed, I caringly laced her up in a gift I gave her because I love and respected her. That pair of shoes is now more important to her than it would have been if some white stranger tossed ‘em to her with a smile and a thumbs up. Some people have asked why we are staying with host families. We have been given the opportunity of a life time and so have the families. The message of a white person living on this Mozambiquen’s level  communicates with each individual as well as the community as a whole that they have meaning in life. This then allows the wall I hate with a passion to begin to crumble. It has been an incredibly powerful honor to be a part of that. I thank God for placing me in this battle between lies and truth.

I fell in love with my family and with our community partner, Bernadette’s, heart along with the work of reconciliation that she has accomplished and continues to accomplish in Macuba. Mozambique is the true, deep, real Africa- and I cannot say enough how much I loved it.

For the past few days our team has been resting at our Community Leader’s home just outside of Johannesburg in Centurion. It has been a huge blessing to just relax a bit, and really just hang out. It feels as though we were tired and in need of a refresh- and our time here has been exactly that. It has also been quite interesting going from life in a hut in Mozambique to staying in a more modernized city. Believe it or not, I got hit with a bit of culture shock. During one of the stops at a gas station on our bus ride from Maputu to Joburg, we had the wonderful opportunity of stopping for a bathroom break. It was strange for me to sit on a toilet instead of squat in the sand, it was strange that I didn’t have to use one of the rolls of toilet paper I have been carrying around with me the last month and a half, it was strange that there was a sink with running water to wash my hands in-soap dispenser and all, of course the automatic air-dryer for my hands caught me off guard, but especially the closing and locking door for privacy. It didn’t bother me since those are all such nice things to have, but each and every one of those details stuck out to me like they never have before. Oy-what is it gonna be like when I get back home?? I’ll make sure to write things like that down and post some of them on here. J

Here we go.. the last leg of our trip. Is this real? It doesn’t feel like it. I ask that question nearly every single day. Its crazy! I love it! We leave this morning for a six or so hour bus ride to Lesotho (seems like a blink of an eye after our 68+hr bus ride to Macuba). I am not quite sure the details of what is in store for us, but I know it includes learning about farming God’s way and partnering with people in the community to assist them with the work in the fields! It’s going to be a completely different experience than the Rez, Vredendal, or Macuba- and I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store. My understanding is that us girls can only wear our skirts-I can honestly say I never pictured myself farming in a skirt-wahoo! Ima do work.

Loving, missing, and praying LOTS.

In Mark 9:23, Jesus states, “Everything is possible for him who believes.”  

Mama with her new tennis shoes!

My infamously favorite cashew tree standing strong next to my house.

Casa de Banjo -> Gas station bathroom.

My mom helping set up the mosquito net..from previous blog!

3/4 sisters. Lucia (2), Vitoria (9), Inacia (4), and I eating some mangas!

Bonita Lucia!

Bricks

I am preparing to pack up my bag and walk to my host family for the last time. Its a sad feeling as well as a very strange one. My mom has got malaria now, but Bernadette has been able to provide medication for her. My host sister is also struggling with a respitory infection, but thankfully we have resources to get her medication as well. So keep them in your thoughts and your prayers, please. I have been wanting to write about some of the simple things that I do every day..things that you do every day too! So read, compare, contrast, and enjoy!

Sleeping: In the beginning, I slept in the room where my mom and four sisters would sleep if I wasn't here. It is one of the four rooms in the house- a room for the boys, one for the girls, one for pots, dishes, and baskets, and a sitting room. There is only a a couple of small windows so the house is dark. Its walls are built with hand made bricks and has dirt floors. Bernadette, our community partner, provided each of the host families with a mosquito net and nails. In that room, they hung it up and laid out one of the three bamboo mats that they own- the best of course; it has the least snags and holes. Since the ground in South Africa ate my sleeping pad...yes, ate it, I did not loose it..okay yes I did..maybe...I've been laying out my sleeping bag on the mat and sleeping in a liner sheet with a small, inflatable pillow. My oldest sister, Amina (12), sleeps on the mat next to me while my mom, Vitoria (9), Inacia (4), and Lucia (2) sleeps on another mat in the sitting room. One day the second week of being here, it was unusually hotter than normal..normal here is in the mid to high nineties..so my host mom said we were going to sleep outside since the house stays hot through the night. After the sun had set, they dug four small holes in the ground with their machete and placed bamboo sticks that are about four feet tall in them. Then, they hung the net over the poles and unrolled the mat underneath it. It made for a sweet night's sleep under the stars and the light of the moon with Amina next to me on one side and the rest of my family on my other-it was peaceful. I have been lucky enough to sleep outside nearly every night since. I was scared about not having my sleeping pad, but it has turned our better than I expected. I have gotten really good sleep-well, good for Mozambique- sweating, scrathching, and waking up anywhere between six and ten times in the night. There has been a handful of times that I can recall catching creepy crawlers crawling on me. I am just really glad it has been so dark because if I could see whatever it was that was on me, I know I would have let out a few girlish screams!

Eating: I like the food here, a lot! My host mom is a good cook, especially for cooking over a small fire. For breakfast, I will usually have what they call poppa which is pretty much a flavorless porridge. She is kind enough to add sugar to it. Coming from South Africa, I really was not a fan, but I have grown to really enjoy it. She will sometimes make me tea as well..lemon grass from the bush in front of our house, On days we have gone to the market, I will get a roll and maybe some tomato-onion sauce that she makes with oil. On a few occasions, she has even let me help make sweet potato fries! Yes, sweet potato fries for breakfast. Awesome. Lunch and dinner meals are similar. I have had lots of rice and beans- which I love. If I don't have beans, she will make a paste with leafs that we have picked from her fields. A subsitute for rice is massa. It sort of looks like a ball of dough. It is the main component of my family's diet. It comes from a plant called mandioca. They dry it then they crush it in a large wooden bowl- about two feet tall- with a large stick- about four feet tall and three to four inches in diameter. After they crush the gagada, they sift it and will cook it in boiling water until it reaches the desired texture. Unfortunately for them, it has zero nutritional value. I will usually have this when I have fish with the tomato-onion sauce. They like to feed me fish. It is a big deal to them. Its also kind of funny though because I really. Don't. Like. Fish. The fish here isn't the best, either. I'm not sure what kind it is or how old but its okay because all the fins and scales and tails and eyes stay on when I eat it. Oy. Strange enough, I have begun to get semi-excited when there is fish..mostly because of what it means to my family, I think. Its almost time for mangos to be in season! I have had a few that were ripe-wow. Delcious. I've grown to like when they aren't ripe. Its sour, but its refreshing in the middle of the hot days. I have also had the wonderful pleasure of having a few slices of papaya. I tried to eat each bite as slowly as possible so I could enjoy it to the fullest. I think the days that I get the gift of a coconut are some of my favorites. That cashew tree outside my house has been a constant piece of paradise. Cashews fall from it every few minutes. My sisters and one of my brothers collect the nuts and save them until they have enough to roast. I have never liked cahsews so much..hand roasted on and open flame, in my front yard, by my little brother and sisters. Yum. the fruit that drops with it has become a weakness of mine. Its delcious! I will make sure to post pictures. Especially one of me carrying water on my head. Heck yeah. My sisters taught me how, and my host mom has helped me perfect the task. We get all of the water we drink, cook with, and bathe with from the wells near our house..pulling it up a bucket at a time to fill up larger containers. There is one well just on the other side of the bushes of my house. In the first weeks, that is where I would help get the water from. In the second week, though, my host mom took me to a well a little bit further- I call it the social well. So many people get their water there! Mostly women, but a few men will buscar agua as well. (ha, get it? as well. oo. not that funny) The first time going there was an experience for everyone involved: me, my mom, and the audience! My mom was proud though, she trained me well. I walked away with out spilling any water-until I turned the corner and no one could see, haha. As we were filling up my bucket, they were asking us if I really was going to carry it on my head. They got such a kick out of me saying yes..and even a bigger one when I actually did. It takes multiple trips to the wells to get enough water for everything you have to do that day. Enough for cooking for every meal, enough for drinking, and enough for the cup showers..for everyone in the family. Nonetheless, it has become a normal thing to wake up and fetch water every morning.

Churching: I have had the great pleasure of going to two different churches during my time here. The first was my olderst brother, Deno's (19), church. The second was my host mom's- a 10k walk from our house. Both were similar services and were held on Saturday because they are Seventh Day Adventists. The first church was in a long rectangular shaped building made of grey hand made bricks. The seats were benches made of a concrete that stand about a foot and a half high. The women sat on one side, the men on the other. Since I was a guest, I sat in the very front row. Both services were spoken in a mix of Portugese and one of the tribal languages, Dialeto. It seems sort of like a business meeting. Attendance was taken, a short message was spoken, then came time a few songs and the offering. The tithing time is what takes up the majority of the services. They take several different tithes and make quite an ordeal of it all. In one church, they took record of who gave how much. In both, they announced the ending total. Interesting. I have been told it is a cultural thing. The churches try to keep everyone accountable because if they don't very few will give because they have so little to give. My host mom's church was pretty cool. It was held under a rectangular shaped grass roof. There were strings hanging like clothlines with purple flowers draped over them. The seats were bricks and they had log benches for the elders, deacons, pastors, and guests. I was the first white person in the area, so they brought a wooden bench for me to sit on-I asked my host mom to sit on it with me. One reason being so she can enjoy the honour, but also so I am not 'the white person sitting above all the rest.

It can be a little uncomfortable at times having people stare at you like you are an animal at a zoo. I have gotten used to it, some days it does bother me, though. Especially because all I want to do here is live how they live. I want to sit on the bricks. But I have learned to understand how great of an honour for them it is to be in the prescence of a white person. White people are not only rare around these parts, but are viewed in an indescribably high manor. I hate it. I am just like them. I have needs. I have wants. I laugh. I breath. I walk. I cry. I have a heart. I make mistakes. I have fears. I have hopes. I have friends. I have a family. Thats what I want them to see- but they see anything but those parts of me. I would like to think my host family has learn to see me in that listed light, however. I won't ever know if they do or not, but it is my hope. I have shared sweet moments with them. Great memories for me and for them to be able to cherish for the rest of our lives. Thats what I want to leave behind. Memories. Love. Not things. Not numbers and lists of what I have done or how many people I have brought to Christ. Those things are not bad things, but they aren't what I came to do-what God had me come to do. Relationships are a precious thing-praise Him for making us relational beings, in His image. We need others around us in all aspects of life. You can enjoy a cup of good coffee, but you can enjoy it more while drinking one with your friend. Friendships have been a lot of what I have been thanking God for lately. Those from our short but sweet time on the Rez.. Those from my time in Vredendal that will forever be stamped on my heart.. The ones that have been orchestrated in this crazy country of Mozambique.. The ones with the people I spend my time with-whether it be in Breckenridge, Fort Collins, or Colorado Springs-you know who you are!..the ones that are stuck with me, yup I'm talking about you Combests and Bishops and the rest of my wonderful family..annnd everyone inbetween, even the short beginnings to frienships that thrive, and maybe some that don't. This is what life is about. Whoever you are, where ever you are in life, its about you and how you live and interect with others. How have you been doing at that lately? If this is what everything is based off of and we only have one life to live to do these relationships- make em count. Be intentional. It only makes sense. For me, the priority is how I choose interact with God. I have learned the better I am at that, the better I become at loving those around me. I have also been especially grateful for the friends that are right under my nose, my teammates. I have had rough time dealing with the tragic death of a family member during my time in South Africa and a very difficult time learning to cope with the death of a close friend that I recieved news of a couple of days ago. It hurts so terribly bad. And it doesn't make it any easier being so far away from those involved. However, I am in the right place..at the right time. The peaceful and laid back vibes of this culture have given me adequate time to think, to reflect, to mourn, and to rejoice in those two lives I had the blessing of being a part of. Having such a strong and encouraging group surrounding me in this journey has only made it more do-able. There is nothing that He will give us that we cannot handle, with out Him. And He will give us the tools to get where we need to be too. Phillipians 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." and 1 Corinthians 10:13 "..And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

From There to Here

My oh my has life been crazy! Crazy in all sorts of different ways, some have been really wonderful, while others have been a lot more challenging. Through it all, God has been continuously blessing me. I feel completely unworthy of this unexpectedly strong flow of His favour, and I know that I do not deserve it. His love is so massive and overwhelming. I often find myself sitting on the bamboo mat in the shade of the cashew tree in the front yard of my family's grass roof hut in complete awe of what He has given me. Sometimes it is easy to get used to the idea of me being here..on this trip, but thankfully, there are constant reminders of what an unbelievably precious and rare of an opportunity this actually is. Not only have those thoughts of these recent occurances ungulfed my mind, but reflecting on what I have been blessed with back in beautiful CO (and Illinois!!) has been taking up a large portion of my thinking time as well..which I have quite a bit of with such a thick language barrier. But I mean really..no matter how terrible of a day I am having, how little I feel like I may have, or how small or unwanted I feel, there is no good reason to let those lies overtake me. I have heard this many times before, but meditating on the concept over and over gives me an oddly positive outlook on life. I have not one thing to be sad about. Quite frankly, some one always has it worse than I do. Complaining is pointless. So instead of using energy to sulk, I have chosen to use it to celebrate. Celebrate everything..like it says in 1 Thessalonians 5, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ." God doesn't want us to live our lives in sadness or depression. He made us beautiful in His image..Genisis 1:27. No matter what things are being darted at us my the devil, be thankful and take joy in those things. Take Job for example. He had it all; he had it good with God, a spotless reputation, ten children, seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred oxen, five hundred donkies, and a ton of servants. What the heck! That is so crazy!!! Think if someone in today's time had all of those things in his possesion..now imagine what it meant in biblical times. Yipes. Ok sorry for the rambling-back to the story..within a short amount of time, all of his wordly possessions..gone..through army attacks, fires, and collapsing houses. All with the permission from God. Oh wait, and then the Lord allows Satan to take Job's health as well. Through it all, Job doesn't even hesitate to praise His name. That is the commitment that I long to live by.

After the farewell from Vredendal, I got the opportunity to meet some of the wonderful people the rest of my team spent time with in Lambert's Bay. It was a great thing to kind of be on the outside; not necassarily being able to feel like a part of the progress made in the community, but to be thrilled to see the affects on everyone else involved was a huge blessing. I often find myself having a difficult time relating to the rest of my team's reminiscant stories, but excited nonetheless because of how joyful they are from the relationships and experiences. I love hearing all about it, and its nice to be able to put faces with names too.

We left Lamberts Bay to head to a city just outside of Capetown called Belleville. There we met our new temporary community partner, Donny. He is a fulltime missionary in northern Mozambique. He graciously agreed to join us on our long trek from South Africa to Macuba, Mozambique. By long..I mean really long. 68 hours of bus riding. Sixty Eight. Ay yi yi. And that is only the time that we were actually on a bus. It doesn't account for any other travel or layover hours in between the four seperate legs of the journey. But God is good and He totally provided. He got us all here safe and sound, we crossed over the border with ease, and we had nice places to sleep and good food to eat. I couldn't have asked for more. I even made a friend on one of the rides. I can't remember his name, but I can recall everything that we talked about. Ah that 21 hour bus ride was the sweetest of them all. God knew what I needed and He gave it to me on a silver platter!

Our team arrived in the middle of town in the middle of the day..tired, smelly, thirsty, and a tad bit grumpy. (I, of course, was still ready for another bus ride if need be..keep 'em comin!) All of those negative vibes blew away the moment that Donny pulled up with thirteen taxis. Taxis here are a little different than those in the United States. They have much better air conditioning systems and are a lot better on gas. Stumped? They are motorcyles! (African style, of course) I can't quite describe the concoction of my emotions.. all of the excitement, exhaustion, shock, and perplexity was unlike anything I have felt before. The reason behind the recipe is mainly because I have a 40 lb. hiking pack on my back and a 10 lb. backpack in my hand. Is this a joke? There was no way in any of our minds that we could fit on the back of one of those things..no stinkin way. Something else I have learned here is in Africa, there is always a way. As we all are giggling and smiling and shaking our heads in disbelief, the crowd of eager Mozambiquans rolls up in front of us, picks one of us out, and 'tells' us to hop on. Ha. Hop on? Seriously? Yes. They were serious. So then we did. We practically paraded through the middle of Macuba. Front wheel, handle bars, driver, backpack, me, hiking pack, back wheel. (Don't worry Grandma, I was lucky enough to have one hand free to hold onto the guy's shoulder) It was awesome. I couldn't dream of any better way to transition from a tiring busride to the next chapter of our trip.

After about a ten minute ride, we arrived at our contact's property. Bernadette Jensen is a woman from South Africa who was called into missions in Mozambique about twelve years ago. She has built an amazing oasis for so many in the community. I am so eager to write further into detail about her ministry in another blog, so definitely look forward to it! For now, know that this place serves as my team's base for our weekends and training period. We had a few days to adjust to the area and to prepare ourselves. Those few days were great, but a lot of complications came about in that small amount of time. One of our teammates very unfortunately had second seizure within a two week time period- and because of the severity, the amount of variables, and the lack of health system here, needed to go home for his sake. It has had a huge impact on our team, but we all know that God has a plan in it, and we are thankful he is safely back home now. So please pray for Josh as he is trying to figure it what caused these episodes and how to make sure it doesn't happen again.

One of the inexplicable joys that God has blessed me with is my host family. I love everything about them. God obviously fit us together perfectly- I couldn't have wished for a better family. Lorinda is my mom, she is 34 years old and is a mother of six. Deno is the eldest son and is 19, Manuel is 14, Amina is 12, Vitoria is 9, Inacia is 4, and Lucia isn't quite 2 yet. The coolest part is is how well we get along with each other, and they don't even speak a word of english. I have been soaking up being able to be quiet, to sit, to watch, and to learn. I think one reason that my first week has been so positive is because of the dynamics in the home. My mom seems to be a wonderful mother. She has instilled dignity and strength in the girls, and a sense of respect in the boys, which is often difficult to find in boys their age here. Because they are all her children, they have responsibilities around the house and in the community that they know are a priority. My mom asks me to just sit on the mat and rest for a lot of the day because I am a guest in her home. But thats not what I am here for. I am here to learn how they live life. So when I have gotten the chance, I will sneak up off my mat to go run off to one of the wells to help my sisters get water. They even taught me and allowed me to carry a full bucket on my head! This was huge progress in the transition I have been trying to make between a guest and a sister. Of course when my I got back home with the bucket, my mom saw me carrying it and smiled, clapped, and laughed. The following day, I had the honor of her taking me to the social well where she let me carry a bucket of water on my head quite a few times. It seems like such a small task, but it means so much that she is now letting me help her work. It was even entertaining and a foreign sight for the people in the community to see. She has let me cut tomatoes and onions, she has let me stir the rice of massa. (which is crushed up cassava..a nutritionless crop.. made into a white, sticky dough-like roll-they eat this as a substitute for rice since they don't have money to purchase it) She will also let me sweep the yard in the morning. The very early morning-I normally get around 4:30 or 5:00. Crazy, right? But it works out when we fall asleep with full stomachs after a dinner cooked under the moonlight at a whopping 8:00 at night. Another huge progression I have experienced this week was I began eating my meals with a spoon. I quickly observed that they don't. When we have dinner in the dark is normally when I would practice eating the soupy beans and rice with my hands. The first night that she served me dinner with my family and didn't get my any silverware was an accomplishment for me. Now she doesn't ever serve me a meal with a spoon. The small things like that really mean the world when they could have never imagined having a white guest in their house, let alone one like me, or someone who actually wants to learn how they do the things they do every single day. It gives them an honour that cannot be put into words. It makes their hut a real home. It gives them a sense of pride and ownership that has never been instilled in them before. It is very humbling that the Lord is using me as a tool to help a family feel this amount of worth.

I don't have pictures yettttt, but they will be coming soon. I have chosen not to bring my camera with me to their home until a feel that it is an okay time to bring it out. When I do, I will be able to show you the strength and the miracles that I have been blessed enough to be a part of.

That is all of the time I have for now, but there will be many more stories to come. Pray for the teammates of mine whose stomachs aren't handling the food or water well..and pray that mine continues to enjoy it as much as I am (which is a lot!)..minus the fish. Oy. I couldn't eat fish before I came here..but let me tell ya-I've learned to smile while I chew!!

Do Not Fret, My Pet!

It's getting to be that time! Already?? Oy..where did the time go? I have no idea. But God just keeps showing off. My last few days here were so, so nice. The good byes were realllly hard, but there was joy through the pain. Its beautiful to see the way He orchestrates everything. Every thing. I praise him for that. 

Before we leave Vredendal to drive to Lamberts Bay for a couple days for team debrief in preparation of Mozambique, I wanted to share with you something that the Lord has done in my heart. I have written about it previously, but the fact that I am writing about it again shows the He has answered my prayers. Philippians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." He has miraculously given me the strength and the focus to not have an ounce of worry for whatever is happening tomorrow. Literally. (As some of my family knows, a pet peeve of mine is people saying literally when it doesn't fit the context. So when I say it, I am happy to say that I really mean it!) He has given me and unending peace about whatever situation is at hand as well as whatever is going on in the future. How our schedule worked was quite different than something I am accustomed to. We often times didn't know the plan for the next day. If we did, it would normally change from this to that or from that to this. Typically, that would bug the worms out of me. (No pun intended. Don't worry everyone, I have taken my de-worming meds. Man, I feel like a dog.) But because that was the case, it was easier for God to give me a pure joy and sense of satisfaction in doing whatever we were doing, where ever. That has lead me to actually be able to BE where I am. Fully. It has been rewarding beyond measure. Not only for me, for  those around me, but it for Him too. He has spoken through me in prayers that I have prayed over some of our friends and in messages I have taught to kids, the youth group, and even a group of police neighborhood watchmen and women. I thank God over and over and over, and I still can't seem to say it enough.

So I encourage you and challenge you to strive for the same. There is no way I could have ever achieved this peace on my own, no matter how hard I tried or how badly I wanted it. But God will provide. He will give it to you. Just follow him, do what he asks. Do not worry. Do not be anxious. Do not agonize. Do not stress. Do not fear. Do not doubt. Or as my mom would say, "Don't fret, my pet!"

Goofin off with some of the kids we would hang out and play with every week.

Me, Arina (my host mom), Anarie (my host sister), and Cassandra (my roomie)!

Our team with the Kingdom Vision Bible School students. They are all wearing the blue shirts. 

From left to right: Marian, Kerau, Sumalie, Qula, and Lionel.

Pray for my dear friends! Prayer is so wonderfully powerful. How cool is it that we get to speak with The One that created us..that created this all?? How could I want to do anything else but that..? :)

Love and Laughter

My heart is overwhelmed as I write this out. I don't even know where to begin. My time here in Vredendal is coming to an end. It hurts. I love the people here. My host family has taken me in as a part of their family. I have seen such a change in them between the first week and now this last week. God is moving and he is growing them! Vian, Arina, and Annari have taught me valuable lessons that will stay with me for years to come. Johann has taught me so much as well. I respect him more than words can say. The Lord really uses him to love and to teach others. He listens and obeys even when it means sacrificing the things he and his family care about.
The friendships that have developed over my time here mean so much to me. Every Wednesday night, we meet with the high school youth group at Johann's church. These kids are absolutely amazing! They have a zest for life that is wrapped up in laughter and a spirit willing to learn more about God. I love them. We also have spent a lot of time with the students of a Bible school that Johann is very involved with. There are five students ranging in age from about 21-33. When we plan time to go the the squatter camps or to a school for a program of singing and games and a lesson, they often times join us and help guide what we have planned out for the afternoon. They are such an incredible group of young people. They have so much to offer and so much love to give. I love and respect them so much.
Our times working on the farm have been unforgettable. My team working in the fields with their workers is a foreign concept to people in this community. Not only are we white people working among the coloured people that are classified as some of the lowest in the community, but we are Americans working with them. With them. Not in front of them. This has opened so many doors! It is such a blessing to be a part of it. God is so good. He has also given us the opportunity to become very close with Francios and Madalie, who own the farm and the fields that we've been pruning, harvesting, and planting.
We have visited a handful of different schools. Each one of them is full of bright kids that longed to be loved. It is not only a fun and wild experience for them to run around with us, but it is also refreshing for the teachers and administrators of the school. Just like in any school in the U.S., there are troubled kids in the classroom..bullies, smart-alecs, interrupters, the shy and quiet ones, the ones that don't care..but when they get to be outside and play!! That is when the real kid in them comes out. Some of the teachers have expressed to me how nice it is for them to see that side of their students. It gives them reason to persevere through the hard days.
Something that we have a team has struggled with is seeing 'the effect.' Some days it feels like we aren't really doing anything life-changing for the people around us. We aren't building houses. We aren't converting people by the dozens. Men still walk around drunk, smoking drugs. Women and young girls and boys still get used and abused. There are still homeless people sleeping outside of the stores and along the side of the road. The crime rate hasn't dropped. But Satan uses our discouragement to try to tear us down. The work we have been a part of and the things we are doing aren't tangible. As an American, that is very difficult to understand. However, being here in Vredendal for these five or six weeks has shown me that even though statistics haven't changed, hearts have. Praise the Lord for that.
We have also been making friends in the squatter camps..just walking around, talking to who ever is standing outside their home and is willing and brave enough to talk to a group of white people walking around. (It's not something that happens very often, so usually when we are talking with a new friend, there will be people off in the distance watching and wondering who? Why? Where? What are they doing here?) The presence of the Holy Spirit has been overwhelming in some of these situations. Prayer is powerful. That is one of the biggest lessons I've learned here. One Wednesday night at the youth group, we were all sitting in a circle. some people were sitting on the couch, a few in some lounge chairs, and the rest of us were sitting in plastic chairs. Me being me..I was leaning back on the back two legs of the chair during most of the evening. I had no idea that almost the whole group had been watching me and waiting for me to fall backwards. Near the end of all of us hanging out, Tayla, one of my favorite girls in the youth, and Megan, the other girl from Colorado, prayed and asked Jesus if He would make me fall out of the chair. I guess in the ten seconds after they finished praying, God did them one better. One of the legs on the chair broke! I feel straight to my back having no clue what happened. Oh gosh, everyyyyyone was laughing their faces off! But I thought, hey, I am okay with God teaching the group how powerful prayer is through my expense, well really, my ego's expense. Ah it really funny. I had no idea Tayla thought it was so funny until we went to visit their school a few days later and she had told alllll of her friends about it. Then she proudly pointed at me and laughed, "This is this girl!!" It took me back to a sheepishly shy middle school feeling, but it was totally worth it seeing her laugh so hard.
Another really awesome opportunity that our whole team had was being involved in the Farm Run! This is an event that happens every year. Churches from all over the community join together and hold bike races, runs, and walks to raise money for the Cohen Group. The Cohen Group is a group of young adults that commit to training and learning the best ways to be there for kids in the schools of Vredendal, similar to a counselor. The teachers in the schools offer themselves up as well, but for the kids with struggles at home or at school, addictions, any type of abuse, and the list goes on..its a lot easier for them to talk someone closer to their age. Their training is through a faith based program, so these coaches (which is what the students refer to them as) are able to pray for the kids and offer them advice and love the way God asks us to. In addition to the races, they have crafts being sold, tons of unbelievably delicious food, blow up jump games, then even had a human foosball blow up game! Another huge focus of the day is the Farm Fun. People are split into even teams..2 adults, 2 high schoolers, and 2 younger kids. Well Cassandra, the one girl on our team from Mexico, and I partnered up and found some awesome kids that wanted to compete. The events for the competition included jumping over hail bays, rolling and running a barrel, wheel barreling your team across a teeter-totter, rolling tires in a straight line, pulling a tractor, kicking a soccer ball through a tube into a goal, knocking down cans with a slingshot, and one of the favorites crawling under a net in a pool of water. It was awesome. People loved that there were people from our team actually participating in all of these with the kids. I couldn't imagine doing anything else. It was a blast! We had high hopes for making it to the top three, but were unfortunately disappointed. But Megan's team got second place! I was glad that my Colorado sister represented our country well.

The Lord continues to give me His favor in so many things. He really has blessed me with these friendships. There will be many tear filled good byes..

Oh the Namqualand Daisies! The Western Cape takes pride in these beautiful flowers that blossom for a very short time during the winter season. White, orange, and yellow flowers drown pastures of grass. But really!! Rolling hills look like an ocean of these things!

Sweet Potatoes!! Yummy. Look at how many :) 

My new little friend, Asa.

Team tire rolling at the Farm Run!

Wednesday night youth group. What goofs!

Johann and Madaleen Engelbrecht

Some of the team with Madalie and Francois!

Prayer Requests:
Please pray for Johann, Madaleen, Annie, and their ministry. Pray that God gives them direction and provides for them financially, physically, spiritually, and through relationships. They are family truly after living out the word.

Lift up the students in the Kingdom Vision Bible School. Their hearts are made of solid gold. Pray that the Lord continues to grow them and teach them more about Him. Also pray for the hearts the people they come in contact with, especially the kids that they make friends with and play with. Pray for their hearts to be opened and their lives to be changed through the wisdom my friends have to offer.

Ask God to continue to bless the harvest of Francois and Madalie's fields. They are hard workers and lovers of Christ; they are some of the sweetest, most giving people I have met here.

Also pray for my team. Satan really is trying to tear a couple of us down- so pray that we surrender it all to the foot of the cross. Pray for discernment and healing as well.