Ten Thousand Homes

Exams are finished, grades are in, and I am out of pittsburgh! After taking a week to de-stress from finals with some beautiful friends, I returned home tonight safely before a winter storm hits us hard. I am hoping it really will be a big storm though because I would love to have a chance to play in the snow and enjoy it before I leave! I looked at the weather in White River today and it is in the mid 80's so I think a little chill now will be lovely. :) 

Now that finals are finished, I can finally focus on preparing for South Africa. The Compassion DTS works closely with an organization called Ten Thousand Homes. In fact, searching for African orphanages and finding this website was the beginning of deciding I wanted to go through YWAM. Here is a link to Ten Thousand Homes' website that I thought may be of interest. 

a call to serve

 As I write this , I am anxiously waiting for the end of the semester to come. I am currently a sophomore at the univmore at the University of Pittsburgh studying with an ultimate goal being to attend graduate school for physical therapy.  At the end of this semester I will have completed my prerequisites to transfer into the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences where I will earn my bachelors degree in Rehabilitation Sciences.  However, the program only begins in the fall semester. So, at the end of last year, I began to ponder the possibilities available for the upcoming semester with no required classes!

While my studies here at Pitt are definitely a primary focus, I feel that college is an important time of growth not only in the academic area, but also for personal development.  Therefore, I have decided to take this coming semester off from school to take an adventure in my faith that I am confident will bring growth in my life.

On January 8th, 2009 I will be flying to White River, South Africa. There I will spend time learning about my faith and how I can live it more each day to exemplify Gods gracious love for each of us. While I am excited to have the time to devote to personal growth, I am also looking forward to the opportunity to minister to and show compassion for the children orphaned in this area. During the week, the YWAM base provides feeding programs, art programs, washes school uniforms, and takes kids to the clinic.

As an individual, God has called me to follow him and blessed me with the opportunity to bring joy to the lives of the orphans as I share God's never-ending love with them. As God's children we are all called to show his love outside of our own lives and in his world each day. Thus, I invite you to join me in spreading His grace. For five months I will be living at a YWAM base and will be challenged to live outside of my comfort zone. More than anything, my trip needs to be supported by prayer for God's work with the orphans and communities of South Africa. Pray for my growth, the staff’s leadership, open hearts in the community, and for the work I am confidant God will do this coming five months.