Fight the Tide

my thoughts...unsensored

2008-09-14T17:26:00.001-05:00

I’ve sort of been evaluating the way I interact with people lately and there is something that I have noticed; something that I am not particularly proud of. I’ve noticed that when greeting people I am never the one to say “how are you”. I am never the one to initiate a conversation. Why is that? Because I’m a very talkative person. And I think the more I’ve contemplated this question the more I’ve realized how selfish the answer is. The truth is, if I am the one to ask how someone is doing it means I have to listen to their response. But if I let them be the one to ask I can tell them how I am doing. Yah, not something I’m proud of to say the least. And I think that is part of the problem when it comes to the relationships I have with people. They’re one-sided. They’re all about me. When I do something for someone, I expect something in return. Super selfish and disgusting actually.

But I don’t think it is something I can change cold turkey. It is something where I have to sit down and take a look at my own life and try to figure out where the root of the problem is coming from. Its like the analogy that Niel once gave me. You can’t just take the alcohol away from an alcoholic and expect him to be cured of alcoholism. You have to find the root of the addiction and treat that. Otherwise the problem will just return. I guess I’ve always kind of seen this in myself in one way or another but I’ve always just ignored it and told myself that it would go away on its own and that I didn’t really have to change. But the truth is that the one thing that I fear the most is the one thing that I need to do the most; I need to change. It’s scary. And I’ve started down the road to change many times but I always get end up right back where I started. And I know exactly what’s missing. It’s a deep relationship with God that’s missing. I started to get closer to Him at the end of last year and I started to see change in my life and then things started to change and I got scared and went right back to the way I had been before; the selfish and self-centered brat that I have always been. Ughh. That disgusts me even to think about it. I want to change. I really do. But the effort that change requires scares the crap out of me. It really does.

But, I’ve come to a point where I know that I just can’t do it on my own. I can’t. And I hate to admit that but it’s the truth. I need Jesus. I do. That’s what’s been missing all along. I haven’t allowed Him to be a part of this journey with me and I think that’s why I’m struggling so much. I don’t even know who I am anymore or why I’m here. I have no idea what direction my life is headed and that scares me. I know that God has a plan and a purpose for me but I have never truly let that sink in. I have never allowed the words of the Lord sink into my life and become a part of who I am. I think if I actually let that sink in and immerse mysef in the Scriptures I would find my identity and my purpose and the vision for my life.

But I’ve allowed myself to get comfortable with where I’m at, when the reality is that I am not comfortable at all. I want to be a different person. I feel like I’m living a lie which in many ways I am. I’ve let myself settle for the way things are when I know that there is so much more and that I can be so much more. I guess what it all comes down to is that I need to change. I need to start livng in the Word and allowing God to shape me into the person that He wants me to be. Until I find that unconditional relationship with Him and allow it to be a part of who I am there will be no real direction in my life. I know that He wants to be my light and my shield but He can’t and He won’t unless I let Him. So today I set a new goal; I want to discover who Christ is to me and what He thinks of me. I want to fall in love with the creator, sustainer, purifier, refiner, protector, romancer, restorer and author of the universe. And I want that magestic and supreme God to be real in my life. I want him to be more real and more clear to me than He has ever been before. That seems like a big and scary and unattainable goal to me, but I know that in Christ all things are possible. I pray that the words of the Rush of Fools song “Peace Be Still” would be a reality in my life this week as I start on this long and scary journey that is ahead of me.

Come to Me, you who are weak
Let My strength be yours tonight
Come and rest, let My love be your bed
Let My heart be yours tonight

Peace be still, Peace be still
Please be still and know that I am God
and know that I am God

Come empty cup, let Me fill you up
I'll descend on you like a dove tonight
Lift your head, let your eyes fall into Mine
Let your fear subside tonight

I pray that this week I could truly be still and just know that He is God.

Overflowing with Excitement!!!

2008-08-28T18:04:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited and just can't hide it!!!!! I'm smiling SO big right now. The hats that I made for the kids at Hope House finally made it to South Africa and are finally warming the heads of those amazing kids!!! And I just saw the first picture of one of the kids wearing their hat!!! The hat fits Bafana perfectly in personality and size!!! Yay!!!! Check it out if you wish... http://www.thriveafrica.org/2008/08/warming-the-hearts-of-orphans/ :) :) :) I hope it makes you smile too. :)

Kitties!!!

2008-07-21T07:58:00.003-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, meet my new kittens! Yes, I did say kittens. I was just planning on getting one, but I couldn't decide between two at the shelter and then they told me that kittens are 2 for 1. I couldn't resist and ended up with two. And I wouldn't have it any other way. They're adorable and I love them to death. They even have Zulu names :) Here are a couple pictures of Thandi (Love) and Thembi (Faith)...

This is Thembi

And this is Thandi

Strength in letting go...

2008-07-08T19:04:00.003-05:00

The last few weeks, and months really, have been rather rough. My grandma's passing has not been easy by any means; neither were the weeks and months leading up to her death. As hard as it was to say goodbye, there is a part of her that will always be with me. She taught me so many lessons; lessons about love and living a life that glorifies God.

One of the things my grandma used to say to me was, "Find your strength in letting go." I don't think I ever understood the meaning of that quote until recently. As I mentioned earlier, the past few weeks and months have been rough, but my grandma's words and lessons she taught me have helped me to get through it. In the beginning I tried to muster up the strength on my own to get through each day, but that was a horrible failure. It wasn't until I began letting go of my fears, anxieties, heartaches, and worries that I found strength. But it wasn't in just letting go that I found strength, it was in letting go and giving it all to God. God is my strength but it's not until I let go of all my selfishness, fears and problems that He is able to use me and show me what true strength looks like. He wants me to come to Him when I am troubled, not try and make things right on my own. He wants to be a part of my life.

Someone asked me today how I've been so strong and joyful the midst of all that's been going on. I thought to myself for a second, smiled and replied by saying, "I guess I've just found my strenth in letting go of all my worries and sorrows and taking hold of the promise and rest I have in God." Grandma was right. She taught me well, but she didn't just teach me she showed me; she showed me what a life devoted to God looks like. Grandma also said, "With strength comes joy." That never made sense until now, but I'm beginning to see what she meant. Finding strength in God allows us to experience the joy in all that He has for us.

Grandma taught me well. One thing I know for sure is that I will never forget the life of pure devotion that she lived. I pray that the lessons she taught and showed me, will continue to be a part of my life. She encouraged me with Scriptures and always wanted me to seek after the plans God has for me and keep Him at the center of my life. That's a lesson I pray I will never forget.

A tribute to a wonderful woman...

2008-06-25T08:20:00.003-05:00

Grandma,

I would not be the person I am today if it were not for you always believing in me and encouraging me to be the person you knew I could be; the person God called me to be. You’ve taught me so many lessons about life and love. Every part of your life was overflowing with the love you had for God and His people. You were always willing to help others even when that meant simply listening. And you always brought a smile to the faces of those you encountered, whether it was with your banana bread, cookies, birthday cards or kind and encouraging words. Your encouragement in my life has shaped who I am. You never told me that my dreams were unattainable; rather you encouraged me to keep seeking out God’s dreams and plans for my life. When I decided to go to Africa, you were beside me every step of the way, encouraging me to keep on going. Grandma, your encouraging words and use of Scriptures to help guide me meant more than words can express. I will miss that.

Every moment I was privileged to spend with you was a moment filled with love and joy. My favorite memories of you and me are when we would decorate cookies and cakes together or bake yummy banana bread. But it wasn’t just baking, it was a time for laughter and getting to know each other better. And I loved going places with you, not because of the things we went to do or see, but because we always had a good time and you always made me feel loved. I can truly say that spending time with you was one of my favorite things to do. You will be greatly missed.

More than anything I’ll miss your warm hugs. Your hugs were filled with love and tenderness and compassion, and many times it felt as though I was being hugged by an angel. But, truth is, I was. You were and will always be an angel to me, and I thank you for being such a blessing in my life. You’ve touched my heart and my life in more ways than you’ll ever know. Thank you.

I love you Grandma!

Oh, and I'll really miss buying you any and every pig that I see. ;)

Sense of community

2008-06-09T08:14:00.001-05:00

I have been learning a lot about the importance of community lately. Ever since I got back from SA I’ve been feeling like some major component of my life has been missing. And recently I’ve realized that I’ve been lacking community in my life. When I was in South Africa, I lived and worked with the same 20 people every day. But when I got back to the States that sense of community seemed to disappear almost over night. Not seeing the same people daily and knowing that I didn’t have that community to fall back (physically) on was tough. And when I came home to a place where many friends had left or moved on with their lives, it was even more difficult. But I let it slide. I told myself I was fine with just communicating with my SA friends even though we are scattered all over the country, and the world for that matter. But to tell you the truth, that hasn’t really worked out the way I’d imagined. I don’t talk to my fellow interns nearly as much as I had hoped to, as we all have busy lives and schedules. And I haven’t allowed myself to reconnect with the community in which I now live, which has left me feeling rather lonely. I love people, but at the same time I don’t want them to see me struggle. Yet I know that I need those close friendships in my life that challenge me and allow me to challenge others.

So last night I finally decided to step out and do something that I had been dreading to do…go to Connexion, the college ministry at my church. Just the thought of going to a place where I didn’t know anybody was terrifying. I had let that fear keep me from attending for far too long. But I think it’s just what I had been needing. The worship was amazing, Dan’s message was challenging, and the small group time was great. I met some new people who I connected with right away and feel like the small group I ended up in was the perfect one for me. The group was very welcoming and made me feel like part of their community. There’s just something about being in fellowship with the body of Christ that makes me feel alive. I can’t wait to go back next week and continue to build those relationships as we grow together in Christ.

friendships

2008-05-07T09:15:00.002-05:00

the shift key on this computer isn't working so i will type this post without it. sorry of it bothers any of you. lately i've been looking at the friendships i have with people and it seems as though a lot of them are only skin deep. it's rather frustrating, but i think i am the only one to blame. i have never really taken the time to fully invest in the lives of the people around me. and i don't like that. everyone knows a lot about me cuz i kind of force it on them at times. and i think it's time i start loving people and investing in their lives the way i should, the way i'm called to. i set a goal when i left africa and that was to learn something new about each of the people i hang out with each week. and i'm gonna do it. i'm tired of the one-sided relationships i've created. i want to be involved in the lives of my friends. i know that i'm loved but i want them to know that they are loved too.

you are loved and i'm gonna start showing it.

please be patient with me as i am trying to implement a major change in my life. i look forward to deepening friendships and getting to know you better, even those of you that are close friends. and i am sorry for not doing this sooner.

Reclaiming the Vision

2008-04-24T06:45:00.002-05:00

Wow, the last time I posted on here was when I was in South Africa. That seems like ages ago, yet at the same time it feels like it was just yesterday. I can't believe I've already been home from South Africa for close to 6 months. Weird. I don't think I've actually let that sink in yet. Sometimes I wish I could just be back in SA where everything seemed to be so perfect. Actually, my life in SA was far from perfect, but I had a sense of being and worth in SA. Growing in my relationship with the Lord was easy, well easier. I had classes, a great group of people to challenge me, and a wonderful support system. But when I got back to the States everything changed. Most of my friends are gone and the interns just don't seem to keep in touch with each other like we said we would. To be completely honest, life since I've been back in the States has been a real struggle. I know what I should be doing, but I just feel so un-motivated. And I seem to have lost sight of my vision. In many ways, it seems like I've fallen right back into being the person I was before my year in South Africa. But I'm not, that's the thing. God started a great and wonderful work in me and I put it on the back burner when I got home. But I'm done with that. Yes, life at home is challenging and at times I just want to ignore it and not deal with it. But I can't. I'm here. And I can't hinder God's work in me just because I'm in a place where I feel uncomfortable and out of place. If anything, I should be striving to grow more now than ever before. I know God has great plans for me, but if I just keep sitting here doing nothing, I will never see those plans come to pass. I need to step out in faith even though it scares the crap out of me. I need to reclaim that vision He has given me and run with it. I know it won't be easy, and that scares me...a lot. But what scares me even more is allowing my dreams and the plans that God has for me pass me by. So, today I step foot on the path again...

Lord please help me to stay focused on you and the beautiful vision you have given me.

Last update

2007-11-23T06:43:00.000-05:00

This is my last opportunity to post a blog before I come home, so I wanted to fill you in on what has happened in the past few weeks.

The Women's Conference. This year's women's conference was a huge success! The women learned what it means to be a daughter of the King and how to live in that. The sessions and worship times were powerful and the small group times proved to be very beneficial. I loved the women in my small group, all 12 of them! Here are some pics of me and some of the women in my small group.

The second day of the women's conference was my birthday. So after the conference ended and we got everything torn down and cleaned up, all the staff and interns went out for dinnner at Spur, one of my favorite restaurants in SA. As we were sitting there "Cotton Eyed Joe" started playing loudly over the speakers and everyone started clapping. Then the Spur employees came out with ice cream that had sparklers stuck in it and sang me Happy Birthday. It was really cool. Here is a pic of me with my ice cream...

Then the day after my birthday, my fellow interns threw me a party. It was perfect! The tables were covered with coloring pages that we could color. There were bubbles, noisemakers, and fun sunglasses and party hats. And we got to decorate our own cup cakes with fun colored frostings. Then we all played a fun game of Cranium! Here are some pics from the party.

On the 11th we drove to Lesotho. It is such a gorgeous country! I think it is the most beautiful place I have ever seen....
This is me standing in the river that separates Lesotho from Souht Africa...I'm in two places at once...
We basically just drove through the country but we did stop at a river for lunch. There were a bunch of little boys playing in the river so we took lots of pictures of them...

Then on the 12th we went to Clarens. It's a really touristy little town. It was fun to look at stuff but it was definitely more of a relaxing day away from the office. Here is me and Kel with our nasty shakes that we got for lunch in Clarens...

We found this fun bathtub with a really pretty background so we decided to hop in and take some pics...

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. It was definitely a Thanksgiving to remember. South Africa doesn’t celebrate this holiday but as Americans living in South Africa, we had to celebrate. With that said, it was a much different Thanksgiving than I am used to. In Alece’s family they have an Italian Thanksgiving followed by a traditional American one. So, today we carried on the tradtion. The first course was salad, pasta and amazing meatballs. After allowing that to settle a little we had the traditional thanksgiving meal; turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and yams. Then after letting that settle for a while and playing a card game or two, we had dessert. I am so glad we had pumpkin pie. That’s my fav and I was a little worried we wouldn’t have it but we did. Yay! I love Thanksgiving! I don’t think I ever realized how much I appreciate the company of family and friends but I really do.

I love all of you. And I will be home really soon to see you all. Tomorrow we leave for Cape Town and then I leave South Africa on the 2nd and I'll be home on the 3rd.

Weekly Report

2007-11-04T03:18:00.000-05:00

Monday (29 October)

BTS (Behind the Scenes): Today I gathered all the gifts for Launch Pad graduations, and put bins together for each class. I also wrote the names on all the certificates and had each class teacher sign their certificates.

Tuesday (30 October)

Hope House planning: For our last term of the internship I have been on the planning team for Hope House. We plan out the lessons, games, crafts and music for each week. I’m in charge of the craft. This week we’re making friendship bracelets.
BTS (Behind the Scenes)- Today for BTS I finished putting Launch Pad graduation gifts together and filled out the remainder of the certificates. Then the power went out so I couldn’t do any of the computer work I needed to get done, so Char and I went to the resource room to see what we could use for Women’s Camp centerpieces.

Wednesday (31 October)

Today we took ministry photos before our weekly prayer meeting. We took some with all the staff and interns and them some with just staff and just interns. It was fun to get all dressed up.
Launch Pad: Today was graduation day! I can’t believe this term is already over! In order to graduate, learners must attend 8 out of the 10 lessons. There were 23 graduates with 10 who had perfect attendance in our class! I’m so proud of them! Here are some pictures of the learners receiving their certificates… Here is a picture of most of our graduating learners…
Most of our learners brought their families and friends with them today for the celebration, and I think we had about 120-130 people in attendance. Here is a picture of Ashley and I with everyone who came to the celebration…Some of our learners shared testimonies about what God has done in their lives and what they have learned through the course. One lady said that she never knew that she could have a relationship with God, another said that she learned the importance of having a quiet time with God and how to find strength in Him, and another told us of how she is learning to have Jesus in every part of her life. It is always a blessing to hear what God is doing in the life of my learners, and it was encouraging to see just how much God had touched each of their lives through this class. Here is a picture of Lina sharing her testimony… As I was beginning to clean up, I noticed some of the older ladies setting up 4 chairs in the front of the church. Soon after I was being led to one of those chairs, where Kelly, Ashley and Esther (our interpreter) soon joined me. Then the older ladies formed a line in the back of the church and stated singing and dancing towards us with gifts in their hands. It was so touching. As they handed us the gifts, each lady gave each of us a hug. When they had finished their song and handed each of us our gift, they told us to open them. Each of us received a candle. It was so touching that they were so appreciative of us teaching them about the Bible and Jesus every week that they got us gifts. Here is a picture of us with the ladies who gave us the gifts. We are all holding the gifts they gave us…
I feel blessed no only to have been able to teach this wonderful group of people but to have been able to develop relationships with many of them. Here are a couple of the students I had an opportunity to build stronger relationships with at youth camps…I will miss every one of my students greatly and Wednesdays just won’t be the same without Launch Pad.
Halloween (AKA Candy Day) Party: Tonight for dinner we made pizza, which was delicious. Then we all dressed up (I was a football coach) and went trick-or-treating down at the staff housing. We went to Niel and Alece's first. They gave us AMERICAN candy like Jolly Ranchers, Twizzlers, and Tootsie Pops. And, they gave us a box of Cheerios to share! Mmmm! Then we went over to the staff party where we were greeted with silly string. Then, in order to get candy, we had to sing a song about who we were. I made up a football song to the tune of "O Christmas Tree". It was lots of fun. I enjoyed dressing up and just being goofy. Here is a picture of all the staff and interns who dressed up for "Candy Day"...

Thursday (1 November)

Town Time: Krista and I met a man at the Daily Grind (our quaint little coffee shop we go to every week) named Wynand. As we were sitting outside at a table, Dan walked by. If you remember from previous posts, he is the man that Krista and I have been ministering to. Anyways, we found out that Wynand is the guy who led Dan to the Lord and gave him the Bible. It’s amazing how God works. We met Dan three weeks ago and then today, we met the man who has also been ministering to him. It is good to know that when we leave, Dan will not be left in the dark, but that he has someone who is committed to helping him grow and change. Praise God! Here is a picture of me, Krista, Dan, and Waynand…. (I will put this pic on later today)

Friday (2 November)

Hope House: Today we told the kids that we only have one time left with them. It broke my heart to see them trying to hold back the tears. Teboho looked at me in tears and simply said, “Don’t go.” I love these kids and it will be extremely hard to say goodbye to them. Today’s lesson was about how we are a part of God’s family and how every time we get lonely, we can pray to Him. We also made friendships bracelets with them today and told them that every time we see the bracelet, we can think of each other and keep them in our prayers. I love these kids and part of my heart will always be with them! The first of the following pictures is me and Tumelo and the second is me and Teboho...

Saturday (3 November)

Today Josh and Josh asked us if we wanted to go exploring with them, so Cassie, Hannah, Becca, and I decided to join them. The four of us girls jumped in the back of the Bantam and Josh drove us over to the back side of Mooihok (the biggest of the three mountains on base). Since we hadn’t explored the back side before we decided to climb the mountain and find a new way to the top. It was really fun. I enjoyed it. The only way to get up the last 30-40 feet was to rock climb (w/o ropes). Only the boys and Cassie decided to go up but Hannah, Becca and I decided not to as coming down would be extremely tricky. I was quite satisfied with where we made it to. The view was amazing. While Cassie and the boys were up top, they encountered a puffader, a poisonous snake. It struck at Josh but the boys stoned it to death and cut of its head to ensure that it was dead. (We kill all the poisonous snakes around here, so that they don’t hurt (or kill) anyone.) Anyways, here is a picture of my and the dead snake… Here are some other pictures from our Mooihok adventure…
On the right side of this picture, you can see Eagle Mountain and Mount Everest, the other two mountain on base…

Sunday (4 November)

Today I will be doing some homework, working on a collage for Hope House, and just relaxing.

A week in review...

2007-10-27T14:14:00.000-05:00

Here's a look at some of the things I did this week.

Monday (22 October)

We started a new class today. Out of the Saltshaker with Rebecca. In this class we are discussing the challenges to living an evangelical life. We had a great discussion today.
Our last mission team of the year, from Michigan, arrived on yesterday. Today we met the 10 of them. So since there is a team here again, that means we have coffee bar again. I got it all set up today and we opened for the first time in a long time tonight.
The Hand in Hand Pastor's conference started today and will go through tomorrow afternoon. 3 pastors from Summit Church in Orlando Florida are here to preach and teach at the conference.

Tuesday (23 October)

Today was a busy day. I had a lot of work to do for BTS (that stands for behind the scenes). I updated inventories for our donation and resource rooms and updated attendance for Launch Pad classes. Then I called all the students that missed class last week to see how they were doing and pray with them.
After dinner I had a meeting with one of the staff. We talked about some things I'm struggling with and she really challenged me in some areas I need to change in and encouraged me on some ways to begin that change. I look forward to meeting with her again next Tuesday.
Then Hannah and I filmed our project for Alece's Intro to World Missions class. We are currently taking a look at other world religions and Hannah and I had to present Freemasonry, Unitarianism, and Christian Science in a creative way so we made a talk show called "Biblical Worldview Today." It was a lot of fun. I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time. One of the guests on the show was an old man named Jake McNeal, who Hannah dressed up as. She really looked like an old man which is the scary part...I'm still laughing about it now. Here's a picture...

Wednesday (24 October)

Today I finished up some office work in the morning and then went to Launch Pad in the afternoon. I can't believe today was the last lesson of the term and that graduations are next week! I love my class! They are so great! I'm really going to miss teaching them and seeing them every week.
Then tonight we had a staff development meeting with the 3 Summit pastors. I learned a lot about perseverance tonight.

Thursday (25 October)

Today for Leadership Lab, Niel did a Q & A session with Isaac, John, and Andy (the Summit pastoral team). It was really neat to see how much these guys have accomplished at such a young age and it was encouraging as well. They took the vision God has given them and ran with it. I also enjoyed hearing about their challenges and seeing their faith through it all.
Then we had our presentations for Alece's class...lots of fun and I learned a lot about Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam and how to better minister to people of these religions.
Town Time...I saw Dan again today. He was so excited to see me as I was to see him. Krista had some work to finish up back at the base so Hannah went with me today. He seemed so much happier this week and told me that we have given him his hope back. We talked with him a little more this week and tried to encourage even more. He told me how he had read the scriptures we gave him last week and what they meant to him. It was so encouraging to hear. I also gave him a paper with more scriptures that I looked up for him throughout the week that I thought would be beneficial to him. Seeing Dan again today made my day. It is so encouraging to see his hope and excitement to study the Bible restored. I know that God has big plans for him. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. Here is another picture of me and Dan from today..
Then we had church tonight. Cassie talked a little bit about the life of David how we need to know God's plans and follow and obey them even when things get rough.
Josh came home tonight! It just wasn't the same without him! His grandfather passed away, so he went home to the States to be with his family for a couple weeks. I'm glad he was able to be with his family for a while, but I'm really glad he's back!

Friday (26 October)

ISOM and Soul Stirrings in the morning (two of our weekly classes)
Then Hope House! I love these kids so much! I wish we had more time with them but we don't. We have 2 weeks left with them. They will forever be in my hearts and I will always keep them in my prayers. The kids were pretty wild today, but that's what kids do, right? Anyways, here are a couple pics from today....

Saturday (27 October)

Nothing! It's nice having a day to just relax!!!

Today (28 October)

Today I climbed Everest and spent some time reading and journaling up there. It was beautiful. If I have time later, I'll put some pics up for you to see.

Praise God

2007-10-21T13:14:00.001-05:00

Every Thursday we have the opportunity to go into Harrismith to do our grocery shopping and any other shopping that we need to do. Since it was not my teams turn to do the grocery shopping and since I had already gotten everything I needed in Durban and Joburg, I almost didn’t go to town. But I did, and boy am I glad I did. As my friend Krista and I were walking down the street, we were met by a Indian man asking for money or something to eat (There is quite a high population of Indians here in SA). At first I was like “Sorry, we don’t have anything” but I was stopped by Krista who suggested to the man that we walk to the store together and treat him to some food. So that’s what we did. As we walked we found out a lot about him. He went by the name of Dan, but his Indian name is actually Dayalan. Anyways, we found out that he had a wife and three kids, but his wife had left him and took the kids, and left him homeless on the streets. We also found out that he had a Bible in his bag and was very excited to share with us about it. Anyways, Krista and I decided to take Dan to KFC (yes, oddly enough, we have KFC here). Dan told us that he would wait outside because he was ashamed and did not want to shame us, but we told him that we were not ashamed of him and that he was welcome to join us. So he ended up coming inside with us. We told him that he could order any meal from the menu, so he picked one and while Krista waited in line to order, I sat down with Dan at one of the tables and began talking with him. He told me more about his life as a homeless man and it broke my heart to hear all the things he has been through and the constant fear he faces on a daily basis. Then he brought up the topic of how our riches are in heaven and that he is here today because of the grace of God. We continued to talk about this for a while and Krista and I shared some other scriptures with him. We also had the opportunity to share with him a little bit about prosperity and how God may not necessarily give us everything we want but He gives us everything we need to survive. We also talked about some of the things that Jesus went through when he was on earth in relation to some of the challenges Dan was facing. We encouraged him to keep his head held high and shared with him that God has a plan for his life. I was so encouraged by Dan’s courage and strength in the face of all the challenges and hardships he has faced, but was excited to be able to encourage him more. As our conversation came to a close, we had the opportunity to pray with him and my heart was deeply touched through our time of prayer. When we were done praying, tears were streaming down both of our faces. Then Krista and I decided to take him to the store and buy him a couple essential toiletries. He was so appreciative and told us that we were angels that God sent to him in his time of need and that we were an answer to his prayers. I was deeply touched by this experience and will never forget it. Dayalan (Dan) Gounder will be in my prayers and I would love if you could pray for him too. Please pray for his safety and that he would continue to seek after God though all of the challenges and hardships that are ahead of him.

Here is a picture of me and Dan…
There is so much more to this story but I had to leave a lot of it out in order to make a semi-short (haha that still didn’t happen) post. But if you would like to know more of the story, please ask.

Action-packed

2007-10-21T13:07:00.001-05:00

Well, the past couple weeks have been action packed. As I said before youth camps were awesome and went really well, but I guess I failed to leave out something else that was going on at the same time. During the week of and the week before camps, Thrive hosted what is called Family Days, which is a time when some of the interns’ parents came out and stayed with us for either one or two weeks. My roommate and close friend Hannah’s parents and grandma came out for two weeks. It was cool to meet everyone’s parents and I really enjoyed getting to know them. Anyways, here is a picture of me with Hannah and her parents….
After camps ended, the parents left and we had a couple days to recover from camps before we headed to Joburg for the weekend. We had the opportunity to volunteer at the Global Leadership Summitt put on by the Willow Creek Association. Basically we did whatever needed to be done…greet people, set up chairs and tables, serve tea and coffee, stuff thousands of lunch bags and welcome bags, and set up and break down the resource center. I really enjoyed being able to talk with the other volunteers and interacting with the Afrikaans community. It was cool to be able to experience another culture. While in Joburg we had the opportunity to go to the movies and the mall which was a real treat. Although I didn’t buy anything at the mall, I really enjoyed being able to hang out with friends. Here is a picture of Josh and I trying on hats in one of the stores…
After Joburg we returned to our weekly classes and responsibilities for a couple days and then we packed our bags again and left for Durban. In Durban we had the opportunity to attend the Global Leadership Summit. I learned so much from this conference, and I think I will be processing all that I learned for weeks to come. Our accommodations were actually in a little beach town called Ballito and were right on the beach so we had many opportunities to enjoy the beautiful Indian Ocean. I woke up every morning to watch the sunrise and was even blessed to be able to see dolphins and whales surfacing in beautiful morning light. It was definitely a relaxing weekend and a productive one as well. Here are a couple pictures from sunny Ballito…

One of the sunrises…
A nighttime walk along the beach…
So there was a Subway in Ballito which was super exciting but the one opportunity we had to go, they were closed.
Hannah and I had the opportunity to go bowling at the mall in Durban. I even won a free game for getting the ‘ladies high score’ of the day. Here’s a pic of me bowling…

11 to 10

2007-10-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, my fellow intern Amy injured her knee pretty badly. After many doctor’s visits and seemingly little progress, it was decided that Amy needed to return home where she could receive better medical care. So, on the last day of our first youth camp we all came together and said our goodbyes. It was a sad day as we lost one of our own, but at the same time I know that God has bigger plans for Amy. She will greatly be missed and the internship just won’t be the same with just 10 of us.

Our last group picture....
I'm really gonna miss her...

Whirlwind week…

2007-10-09T08:11:00.000-05:00

On the 22nd of September we began a 9 day adventure called youth camps. Each year Thrive Africa hosts youth camps that are open to youth in Qwa Qwa and Intebazwe (and this year Khalanyoni as well). Well, this year we had 3 back-to-back 3 day camps here on the base. Each camp held it’s own challenges, but all were great. For example camp 1 was hot and extremely windy, camp 2 was rainy, and camp 3 was pretty chilly and rainy. But we made it and all 3 camps were a success! This year’s camp theme was Crossroads and featured messages about making the right decisions in life, staying on the narrow road, getting rid of distractions and keeping our focus on God. Camp was also jam packed with games and fun activities! The campers were divided into 10 teams (each team with a different color shirt) and took part in activities as a team. Some of the big team activities were low ropes, paintball, volleyball, the zip line (AKA the foofie slide), Playstation, and the music studio where teams got to record a song. At the end of camp all of the campers received a CD with all 10 team songs on it.I could go on and on about camp but if I did this blog would be a novel, so I’ll just leave you with lots of pictures…

Team bonding time...

Playstation (sorry its a little blurry)... Low Ropes.... The zipline AKA the foofie slide....

I did it too... Me at my balloon dart station at the carnival...Me and some of my Launch Pad kids....
Josh drinking a goldfish....

The peanut butter and jelly skit... Dave shooting Josh w/ paintballs...

Update time...

2007-09-16T23:26:00.000-05:00

Once again, it been a while. Here are a couple updates:

LAUNCH PAD Classes are going great, and they’re growing like crazy. At the first class of the term we had 22 learners. Now half way through the term we have 117 registered learners. Crazy, huh?!?! In one week alone we had 41 new learners! I love my class! They are amazing! It’s so cool to growth in the lives of my students as well. I love having the opportunity to talk with my learners after class and get to know them better. Here are some pics of my amazing class:

Game time! They're toe fencing....

Me and my amazing interpretor Amanda...Me teaching while Amanda translates....
Some of the learners during small group time....
After class...

HOPE HOUSE This month we have been teaching the kids to take care of all that they have been given and we even got to give them some new toys and games. Tumelo and Teboho still have my heart, and we keep getting closer but I now have another love. Her name is Zodwa. She is such a precious 7 year old. The other day we were making a craft and she made hers for me. It said “You and me together are happy. I love you.” Awww, I love these kids:

Me and Teboho (this one is my favorite)....

Teboho on super hero day...

Me and Zodwa. Isn't she precious?!...
Tumelo.....
Zodwa and Kwanele w/ chalk all over their faces.....
Some of the other kids posing for a picture....

BUILDING PROGRESS The building process of the restaurant and conference center is moving along much faster than any of us expected. Here is the latest picture of the progress:
Well, I probably won’t be posting for a while cuz I’ll be super busy in the coming weeks with youth camps and conferences. So everyone take care and God bless!

a little bit of change...

2007-08-14T14:36:00.000-05:00

As some of you know Thrive is rebuilding/expanding the restaurant and conference center that was damaged by fire back in April. On the 4th of August we moved everything out of the building and on the 6th of August the builders started taking down the building to start anew. That means we no longer eat our meals in the restaurant, rather they are now in our own "living room". It is exciting to see the progress in just a few short days. Here are a couple pictures of 'week one' of construction/demolition....

Haha....these pics make me laugh. Josh hoisted an American flag up the only reamining pole in the old restaurant this weekend. It makes me smile....

busy busy busy

2007-08-11T02:41:00.000-05:00

So much has happened the past few weeks and I will do my best, with as few words as possible, to fill you in.

On July 30 we packed our bags and hit the road, headed back to Mabalingwe, the safari lodge we went to earlier in July. This time we went for a three day retreat. We had some awesome times of praise and worship and sessions that helped us to refocus and regroup for the 4 months we have left here. We also had the chance to have a little fun and relax. Funwise, my favorite part of the retreat was the fact that we got to go on a horseback safari one morning…something I have always dreamt of doing. It was so much fun! I had a crazy horse named Okane who ran a lot and had a mind of his own, when all the other horses went through bushes, Okane found an alternate path that did not involve going through bushes and trees. Smart horse. And he loved running….he hated when other horses tried to pass so he would take off running to avoid it. Fun times. We didn’t see many animals on the horseback safari but we did see a giraffe which was pretty cool. Here are a couple pictures of my horseback adventure…I don’t have many cuz it’s not easy to take pics while riding a horse. ;)

Here is the shadow of me and Okane... Some of my fellow interns on horseback...
The giraffe we saw on horseback safari...

We also got to go on another game drive. We didn’t see elephants this time but we did see lots of hippos and rhinos. I was rather excited that we got to see the baby rhino this time around. He was so adorable!

Hippos!...

Baby rhino. Isn't he adorable?!

Rhino butt shot...

I love monkeys... Even when they steal my breakfast...

The day after we got back we did assemblies to promote our rural discipleship class called Launch Pad. We went into four different schools and do five assemblies. In the assemblies, we the opportunity to do a skit that presented Launch Pad in a fun way. We also played games with the students and had a short lesson about integrity and how God sees the real us. The assemblies were a lot of fun and I’m glad we got to be a part of them.

Here are some of the students at one of the Launch Pad assemblies...
Then, Launch Pad started this week. This term Ashley and I will be teaching a curriculum called “Ordinary Day with Jesus” which talks about how to have Jesus in every moment of every day. I’m so exited to be back in class and spend time with my students and they seemed to feel the same way.

Here is Kelly with some of our Launch Pad students...

This week I have done a lot of fun stuff in the mornings. Yesterday morning, before breakfast, Josh took me down to see the new baby pigs we have here on base. We breed them and sell them to help make a little but of additional money to run the ministry. They were so adorable!

Me and one of the one-day old piglets...

Some of the older pigs...
Then, this morning I headed up Mount Everest at like 5:45am so I could get to top in time to see the sunrise….and it was a gorgeous sunrise.
Then we headed to Lion’s Rock, a lion park about an hour away that Niel and Alece wanted to check out and see if we want to start taking mission teams there or not. The lions were cool, but the game drive that accompanied was not all that great. Anyways, here are some pics I got of the lions (and the leopard)…

Then, on the way home we got a flat tire. We made it home safely though. Here’s a pic of the rather flat tire on the Pajero…
Well, so much for a short post. Haha ;) Have a wonderful day everyone! Well, now I’m going to go have dinner and relax this evening and chill with some friends. God bless!

This one is for Kylie...

2007-08-08T05:03:00.000-05:00

I promised Kylie I would put a picture of a zebra on my blog, so here it is. I got really close to this zebra the other day on my way back from climbing Mt. Everest, the smallest of the 3 mountains on the base....

Christmas Day!

2007-08-04T11:49:00.002-05:00

Christmas in July was amazing! On Christmas day we had an awesome Christmas breakfast of pancakes w/ fruit topping and whipped cream. Then in the afternoon we decorated lots of sugar cookies. Here is me with one of my cookie creations. He looks a little funny, but he was delicious...

Then for dinner we had red and green stuffed peppers with chicken and rice. We invited Niel and Alece over and had an awesome Christmas 'family' dinner. Then Niel read us the Christmas story from Luke 2 and we opened our Secret Santa presents and stockings. It was so much fun! Then we were surprised by some Christmas carolers AKA the staff. They joined our Christmas party after singing to us and we had a rocking time. Dave had a Santa hat on so we all took pics with him in froint of the tree. We took a lot of other fun pics too, so here you go!

Here is me and all my fellow interns (and Alece) in front of our Christmas tree...

Me and Santa...:)

Me, Roo, and Hannah w/ Santa Dave...

Me and Joshua...

Me and my girls...

Me and Josh...

I love Christmas time!!!!!

Merry Christmas

2007-07-28T08:01:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everybody!!!! Today is the day that my fellow interns and I have deemed Christmas in July. And it's the perfect time of year for it! You may be thinking..."but, it's hot." Not here...here in South Africa it is currently winter. It's so cold out today! And the wind is outrageous. One of the rooves on a cabin that our current mission team is staying in blew off last night and a couple of the windows to our living room blew off. But that's totally normal for this time of year....the wind that is, not the roofs blowing off. ;) Anyways back to Christmas...the cold weather really makes it feel like that wonderful time of year so we decided to celebrate. Last weekend we decorated our living room with lots of snow flakes and paper chains. It looks AMAZING! And for stockings, we bought rugby socks and everyone decorated them and we hung them. Last night on Christmas Eve we put up the tree (borrowed from Niel and Alece), made popcorn chains, made cookies, and watched Elf. Today we had an amazing Christmas breakfast....pancakes with fruit topping and whipped cream and bacon on the side. Then we decorated the cookies that we made last night. Tonight we are having Niel and Alece over for Christmas dinner....stuffed red and green peppers with chicken and an amazing apple dessert. It should be awesome. Then we are going to open our Secret Santa gifts and our stockings. I can't wait....it is going to be so much fun! I love Christmas!!!

Here's a picture of our stockings....

More pictures to come later.

Oh, side note....we leave for our retreat on Monday and have our horseback safari on Tuesday. YAY!

Exciting news...

2007-07-17T10:37:00.000-05:00

So we found out the other day that we will be going on a retreat at the end of this month...back to the same place that we just recently had our safari. Yay! Last time we went because the team staying with us was booked at two safari places and they couldn't get a refund, so we went since the place was already payed for. Anyways, this time it is a 3 day retreat. And, the part I'm most excited about is that we get to go on a horseback safari!!!! That is something I have always wanted to do!!! I'm so excited!!!!

Well, I've got to go now, but I will try to update later this week. There is a lot going on this week and next week that I am rather excited about!

4th of July in Africa

2007-07-07T04:15:00.000-05:00

We got back from safari on Monday evening, had a regular schedule on Tuesday, and left for Joburg early Wednesday morning. The 4th of July isn’t a holiday here in SA but as Americans we know how to have a good time. Aimee, Cassie and I spent the day shopping and just having a good time. We thought about going to see a movie but decided against it. Then at about 4 o’clock everyone met up and we headed over to our dinner location….Primi Express. There we changed into nicer clothes and sat down to a nice Italian dinner. It was so good. When we finished there we headed over to the Monte Casino for the big show….not fireworks, but a big show nonetheless. Niel and Alece got us really good seats to the traveling Broadway production of The Lion King. It was such a good show. I enjoyed it a lot and it was an awesome way to spend the 4th of July! And I got to see The Lion King in Africa! How cool is that?!?! I wish I could have taken some pictures for you all to see but as in the States, cameras are prohibited. Oh well, here is a shot of us after the show……
I thoroughly enjoyed my 4th of July, and I shared it with an AMAZING bunch of people!!!!

SaFaRi!!!!!!

2007-07-06T12:46:00.000-05:00

So, this past weekend we had the opportunity to get away for a couple of days and go on a safari, and I have to say this was probably one of the best ones I have ever been on! It was so much fun! And we got to see everything which is a major plus. Even the welcoming sign was exciting to see...

On the first drive we saw tons of impala and lots of other deer-like animals…
Warthogs…
This one was right outside our room…
Isn’t the baby cute?! (in a weird sort of way)…

Rhinos…

Giraffes….

Hippo…. :)
In the morning of the second day we went out for another game drive. It was really cold and we just wanted to find the elephants. We didn’t really see much of anything though except for deer, zebra, and wildebeest. Ingrid our guide didn’t give up searching for the elephants though….trust me, she stopped to check a lot of poop and tracks for warmth.
Suddenly, towards the end of our drive we came to a rather abrupt stop. She had found them. Ingrid found the elephants and drove us in for a closer look. There were so many of them…and they were so close..

And there were a lot of babies…

One of the more friendly elephants playfully broke the mirror on the safari truck! It was so funny and quite a sight. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that sound or the sheer humor in the moment....

I’ve decided I really like elephants. Even though they’re wrinkly, their beautiful and graceful and God couldn’t have done a better job creating them.
Here is a picture of my fellow interns and I at sundown on the safari (the hippo is in the watering hole right behind us but you can't see it)...

More snow pictures...

2007-06-29T04:47:00.000-05:00

Snow ball fight!!!

I love making snow angels....

Can you spot our snowman?!

Ostriches....never thought I'd see ostriches in snow, but hey this is Africa! haha...

Enjoying the snow with some good friends...

SNOW in Africa!

2007-06-27T12:44:00.000-05:00

It has been so cold for the past couple days. Well, actually it has been more like a month, but the weekend was pretty warm. Anyways, it’s cold again. Winter definitely hit full blast the past couple days. It SNOWED last night!!!!! Yes it does snow here in Africa, and I have proof. Here are a couple pictures of the beautiful winter wonderland here in South Africa...

Ostriches & Trampolines

2007-06-27T12:22:00.000-05:00

So, one of our local gas stations/restaurant areas has trampolines and a petting zoo outside. It is pretty sweet. Actually, I guess it’s pretty common here to find these things at rest stops/gas stations. Oh how I love Africa! Anyways, whenever we are at the One Stop, as it is called, we usually jump on the trampolines and feed the ostriches if we have time. We fed the ostriches the other day after eating lunch and it was so much fun! I even got bit by one of them but it didn’t really hurt. Laura got it all on video. Haha. It was funny. Maybe I'll put it on youtube for you to watch sometime. Anyways, here are some of the pictures from our recent gas station adventures….

Ummm, this one kinda looks like I'm trying to kiss the ostrich...

Who knew ostriches liked french fries?!?!

This is my friend April jumping on the trampoline...

This is my friend Josh jumping on the trampoline. Doesn't he look like Spiderman?! Ummm, Josh....where's the ground?!

Oh, how I love this place!

Launch Pad Graduations

2007-06-17T09:53:00.000-05:00

I know I'm horrible at posting on this thing but I just thought I'd update you on some things that have happened in the past month.

Sadly, the first term of Launch Pad has come to an end. But it went out with a celebration. On May 23. we held graduation celebration for our "Foundations of Faith" class in Khalenyoni. There were 11 graduating students; 2 with perfect attendance. The celebration was complete with certificates, food and drinks, and gifts for the graduating students that can be used as spiritual development tools. We also asked the students to share testimonies about what the Lord has taught them through the class and what He is doing in their life. I was surprised at the responses we got. Everyone wanted to share which was surprising since the Basotho people are generally quiet and reserved. Anyways, there were some amazing testimonies. One woman shared that after learning about the laying on of hands, she took what she laerned and put it into action. Her sister was sick so she laid her hands on her, prayed for the Lord to heal her and she was completely healed! Praise the Lord! It was so encouraging to hear how much the students learned and how much the class challenged their faith. I feel blessed to have been a part of this. Our students are so excited for next term and so am I. I love my students and I look forward to continuing where I left off and continued discipling these wonderful children of God!

Here are a couple pictures from the graduation celebration. This is Kelly and I handing out the certificates...

Here are all of our graduates...

Me and two of my graduating LP students...

Me, Kelly, and Ashley with some of our students...

Me and Akhona, our youngest graduate...

I love my Launch Pad class!

jumping for joy

2007-05-15T23:03:00.000-05:00

Wow. Time flies by so quickly. It’s hard to believe that I’ve already been here in South Africa for almost 4 months. In the past four months I have been learning so much. Currently God is teaching me to let go…let go of all the things that hinder me and hold me back; things that I’ve held onto for way too long. I am learning to give all of my burdens to him on a daily basis and I feel so free because of it. I am learning to trust God fully and allow Him to lead my life. Listening has never been an easy thing for me to do, as I love to talk, but I am learning to listen to and actually hear God’s voice clearly. God is beginning to reveal His vision for my life in bits and pieces, not exactly what I want for my life but exciting nonetheless. I am being challenged in so many ways, it almost seems like too much to handle at times, but I know that the Lord will never give me more than I can handle. He has blessed me with an amazing group of people who challenge me on a daily basis and support me through it all. I couldn’t be more blessed. Ahhh, I love life and I love what God is doing in my life. I can’t even put into words all that he is doing for me but he is doing mighty, awesome, and spectacular things. I love having a relationship with a God who finds me more captivating than the stars, more beautiful than the sunrise, and more stunning than the ocean tide. I feel like I’m wrapped within a warm embrace, wrapped in love and it’s the greatest feeling ever. I could go on forever about what God is doing in my and through life and how His love encompasses me. I’ve never felt more at home and I know it’s because I’m right where He has called me to be. Ahhh, I love it!!! We serve a MIGHTY and AWESOME God and I’ll leave it at that.

new do

2007-05-15T22:59:00.000-05:00

So, I got my first haircut here in South Africa the other day in Harrismith. I was a little worried at first, but they ended up doing a great job. I think this is the first haircut I’ve actually enjoyed completely and I think I enjoyed it more because it was my first time having my haircut in South Africa. I know it sounds cheesy to get so excited over a haircut but it was an adventure and one I’m glad I had. Here is a picture of me with my new do.

FIRE!!!!

2007-04-29T01:12:00.000-05:00

Last night was a crazy night to say the least. On the last night a team is with us here at Thrive, we usually have a bonfire to celebrate their time here with us and fellowship together. Last night due to the windy and blustery conditions we decided to have the fire in the restaurant around the fireplace. The fire was started around dinner time, and just as the team was finishing their meal, a real fire started. No, I don’t mean in the fireplace…THE BUILDING CAUGHT ON FIRE!!!!! The roof was on fire (here at Thrive most roofs are thatch/grass). Not exactly the bonfire we were hoping for. Anyways, everyone got out of the building and immediately started efforts to put out the fire. We grabbed every bucket we could find and started a bucket brigade. Many people went up on the roof and the rest of us formed and assembly line, passing buckets of water up to them. A group of us went into the part of the building that was not on fire and removed all electronic equipment and anything else we could grab. Water alone wasn’t working so every fire extinguisher on base was tracked down and utilized. Even that didn’t quite work. We also used water tanks with hoses attached to them. We have a couple here on property for if anything like this ever happens, but a nearby farmer also brought another one. As water in the tanks ran low, we formed an assembly line to refill them. The windy conditions, although much calmer than earlier in the day, made efforts to put out the fire that much harder and kept kicking up embers. Early on, the fire department (fire brigade here in SA) was called, but since this is Africa and Harrismith only has one fire engine, it took them quite a while to get there. When they did get here, they didn’t do a whole lot. What firefighter is afraid of heights?!?! The ones here apparently. They used their hose and helped to quench the fire a little bit but would not go up on the roof where the fire was. So, our guys did most of the fire fighting themselves. With harnesses and ropes, a couple guys latched onto the roof as they ripped off and drenched burning thatch. After about 4 hours the majority of the fire was put out but there were still burning embers in the roof that were sparked up by the wind every once and a while. But our guys worked hard and didn’t give up. Everyone definitely came together last night and did their part. There were people filling and passing buckets, holding ladders, fetching blankets for those who were wet and cold, making tea and coffee to warm people up(it was freezing, literally the temps were in the 30’s), holding spotlights and flashlights, and doing whatever needed to be done. Eventually the fire was completely put out and contained to the restaurant’s roof. Praise the Lord!!!! And praise God that no one was injured!!!

Here is a picture of the outside of the restaurant this morning. Thank God it was contained mostly tothe upstairs and the roof.

Please keep Thrive Africa in your prayers, as we begin the long clean up and rebuilding process.

I'm back!!!!

2007-04-28T04:05:00.000-05:00

Well, once again it has been a long time since I have updated this blog, but I have been rather busy this past month. A lot has happened since my last post. I’ll try to include as many pictures as possible in this post, but it all depends on how well the internet is working today.

First of all we went to Botswana for about a week and a half, which was absolutely AMAZING! After a long 17 hour drive we arrived at the mission base of Love Botswana Outreach Mission (LBOM) which is the organization we worked with while we were in Botswana. Our goal for the trip was to go in with no agenda of our own and serve them and do whatever they needed to be done. Some of the jobs we did were cleaning out and reorganizing an outreach container and warehouse, making room for and stocking Samaritan’s Purse boxes, helping to organize a book sale with all the books we took out of the outreach container and warehouse, slashing grass, and cleaning the Village Church tent. Our group also had the opportunity to lead small groups at a local adult Bible study, take part in Fire by Nite (LBOM’s youth group), and lead children’s church for about 150 kids. Working with LBOM was great! They have been around for about 20 years and it was great to see their ministry and imagine what Thrive Africa could grow to be.

We got back from Botswana on April 5, the day before Good Friday, which meant we had a long Easter weekend to relax and recover. On Easter Sunday, we had a braai at Niel and Alece’s house after church, complete with egg coloring, an Easter egg hunt and Easter baskets (bags). We even got Peeps and other American candies. Super exciting!!!

After the Easter holiday we got back into the swing of things and started our term 2 classes. This term we have a couple new classes; Intro to World Mission, Culture Compass, and Leadership Lab. Intro to World Missions explores the true meaning of missions throughout the scriptures. Culture Compass teaches about how to minister in a cross-cultural setting and Leadership Lab teaches us how to be the Godly leaders that God has called us to be. We also have a few continuing classes; Girl Talk, Soul Stirrings, and Language Lab. In Girl Talk we are reading “Captivating” by John and Stasi Eldridge. Girl Talk is more like a discussion group/ book discussion than a class. In Soul Stirrings we are currently watching a DVD series by Louie Giglio and in Language Lab we are continuing to learn Sesotho. Along with our classes we also have all of our behind the scenes work to do.

Behind the Scenes is where we are assigned to a staff member for the year and do anything they need us to do. My staff member is Kelly, and since she has been in the States for the past 5 weeks, I have a lot of projects to do before she gets back. Two of those projects included moving the donation room and the resource/outreach room to their new locations. Some of the other interns helped me out with this project and we had quite a good time trying on clothes and playing with the toys along the way. It was definitely a lot of work but they look great now that they’re done. I’m still trying to find ways to make them look better and organize them so that things are as accessible as possible though.

Launch Pad and Leadership Summit started back up after a 3 week holiday break. It’s great to get back to teaching. I missed my students so much and I never realized how much I missed teaching until I went without teaching Launch Pad for about a month.

Being an intern isn’t all work and no play though. We know how to have a good time. Last weekend we climbed Mt. Everest together!! No really, we did! One of the mountains on our property is called Mount Everest. Ironically it is the smallest mountain on the base. When we got to the top, we were surprised with a mountain top picnic. It was so awesome!!! And the view was beautiful. It was a great time of bonding and enjoying each other’s presence. We do a lot of hiking here around the base. After all, the base is 2500 acres and is surrounded by 3 mountains.
The other day we went to the animal graveyard where all the bones of animals that are shot here on base are thrown. We made some pretty cool finds.

Josh took us to the shooting range the other day and we did archery and shot cans with the pellet gun. It was a ton of fun!!!

Sorry for the longevity of this post but a lot has happened since my last one. I know I probably left a couple things out, but those are some of the highlights of the past month. I will try my best to keep you more up to date in the future, but with my busy schedule, that is no guarantee.

Have a WONDERFUL and BLESSED day! I love you all and miss you lots!

New phone #...again

2007-04-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all! Once again, I have a new phone number. My phone wasn't stolen this time...there was just something wrong with the sim card. So, here's the new number 011-27-76-036-3404. Hopefully this will be the last time I have to update my phone number.

2007-03-21T13:04:00.000-05:00

This is going to be a short post because I don't have much time. I just want to let you all know that I will be leaving for Botswana on Sunday and will be gone until April 5th. I will definitely update you all when I get back.

Please be praying for me and my fellow interns. Our internship director resigned on Sunday, and is leaving for the States in the morning. It was all pretty sudden and has been hard on all of us so please keep us in your prayers.

Also, I have a new in-room phone number. It is 011-27-072-535-3394. Please call me!

I hope you all are doing well. Take care and you'll definitely be hearing from me after Botswana!!!!

Fun times!

2007-02-28T12:31:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't updated this blog much since I've been in South Africa but I will try to fill you in as much as possible on what has been happening in the past month. There is a lot that has happened but I'll fill you in on the highlights and share a couple pictures with you.

On January 21 I met up in Washington DC with 10 other young adults from all over the United States and Canada and together we boarded a flight to South Africa. We had lots of fun on the flight and started getting to know each other. After a 15 hour flight and a 3 1/2 hour drive, we arrived on Thrive Africa's mission base. The first week here in SA was spent settling in, participating in eam building activites, and learning the "Basics" of ministry and Thrive Africa. Week 2 was the begining of classes. We've definitely got some good classes this term and I am learning a lot. :)

Seeing that we only have one guy on our team, all of us girls thought we'd make him feel a little more at home. So while Josh was just chillin' in the living room on night, all of us walked in dressed as guys, complete with facial hair and baggie clothes. Guy night was awesome and was a great bonding time. I think Josh enjoyed his guy time. ;)

We've also had a couple of birthdays so far; Krista and our fearless leader Jen. We threw surprise parties for each of them and had a blast!

Lately we've had a lot of rain and some pretty amazing lightning displays. I love storms and the ones here in SA are AWESOME! One night we even went out and played in the rain (when it wasn't lightening). It was so much fun!!!

Ministry is well underway and I love it! Leadership Summit is a school outreach in which we work with 8th grade students. The curriculum taught in the class is called "Break the Silence" and helps students to talk about taboo issues such as AIDS, sex, drugs, abuse and various other topics.

Launch Pad is a discipleship class that is taught in the villages of Qwa Qwa, Intebazwe and for the first time ever, Khalenyoni. I have the privilege of teaching the Khalenyoni class with my fellow intern Ashley(seen below). We are teaching "Foundations of Faith" and look forward to seeing our students dig in deeper and grow closer to the Lord. Our students range in age from 10 to 84. Each and every one of them seem super excited about the class and eager to learn.

We have also had the opportunity to go out for relationship evangelism a couple of times so far. I've missed talking to the people and spending time with them and sharing God's love with them and it has been great to jump back into it. I love these people so much!!!! I thank God for the opportunity to minister to and love them!!!!

South Africa is AMAZING!!!! I love it here!! More updates to come later. Lots of love from South Africa! God bless!

I love my roomie

2007-02-18T08:08:00.000-05:00

This is me and my roommate, Hannah. We've known eachother since 2003 and have grown to be great friends over the years. It's a joy to share a room with her and I look forward to developing our relationship even more over the course of this year.

My room...

2007-02-18T07:42:00.000-05:00

So, here are a couple pictures of my room...

My room is the door on the right

Here's where I sleep

My closet and vanity

the sink

the toilet

the tub

and the shower

Phone me, please!

2007-02-14T13:28:00.000-05:00

I now have an in-room phone that I can recieve calls on. Please call me!!! My number is 011-27-076-533-0669. Please be mindful of the time difference though...7 hours ahead of Eastern standard.

This is where I live...

2007-02-11T07:54:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!!! Things are going great here in South Africa!!! It's so beautiful!!! I've never seen it so green...mainly because I've always been here during the winter. I don't have much time to blog but I just want to share a couple pictures with you all.

Here are the three mountains that surround our base...

This is Mooihook, the largest mountain on the property,

This is Eagle Mountain (Take a look at the top of the mountain and you'll see how the mountain got its name)

...and this is Mt. Everest (ironically our smallest mountain)

More pictures will be coming soon...when I have more time. Take care everyone! Lots of love form South Africa!

Farewell Indiana

2007-01-21T04:55:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm offf to South Africa in about an hour. CRAZY!!! I think I finally got my bags all in order. Yay! And in like 6 hours I will be meeting up with my fellow interns in Wachington DC. I'm so excited!!! This year is gonna be amazing!!! Well, I still have to get ready to leave so I'd better get a move on it. Oh and by the way this will be my last post for a while as our schedule is very busy in the next couple weeks due to training and orientation. God bless and peace be with you.

Change is on the horizon...

2007-01-17T19:17:00.000-05:00

So far January seems to have flown by! I can't believe I only have 3 full days left at home!!! Crazy, eh? On Sunday morning I will be leaving good old B-Town to spend a YEAR in South Africa. Yay! :) I can't wait! I'm so excited right now! Yet at the same time I'm a bit scared....well not really scared, more like nervous. I know that this year is going to be a year of tremendous change in my life, and I think what I'm really scared of is letting go...letting go of all the things that hold me back. I am learning now more than ever that I need to live by faith. I know that God's plans are bigger than mine and I need to trust him 100 percent, but sometimes that's not the easiest thing for me to do. This year I WILL let go, and I WILL live by faith. Please pray for me this year as God molds me into the young woman He wants me to be. Pray that I would not resist the change that is on the horizon and that I would meet every challenge with an open heart and a strength that comes only from the Lord.

I will do my best to keep y'all updated on what the Lord is doing in my life and in the lives of the South African people throughout the course of the year. I know that the Lord is going to do AMAZING, WONDERFUL, and MAGNIFICENT things this year and I look forward to sharing those things with you. God bless.