This is their story.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to be part of a club on campus called Keep It Real that tutors students who have resettled in the United States from all over the world and now attend Arsenal Middle School. Last year the club asked students to share their experiences and put the stories into a book. Since I was gone last semester, I had not seen the book until yesterday and I can't get the stories out of my mind, so I would like to share two with you. The first is from a girl named Asia whom I work with every week. The second story is from a young man named Daler whose story broke my heart. Both reminded me of the overwhelming need for God's peace and true love to be shown in this world.

"My name is Asia H. and now I live in America. But I didn't always. I was born in Somalia, but moved to America because Somalia was a scary place to live. In the middle of the night Somalis would come into people houses and steal their clothes, food, and even kill people. They would also kill people during the day if you didn't give them what they wanted. My uncles died because of this. We were sad, mad, angry, and scared. We needed to go some place safe. My family decided to walk to Kenya because it was safer, but it took ten days. On the way my brother got lost, but he made it to Kenya by himself. We built our own house and it was safer, but we still wanted to go to America. After about a year my families name was on the list to go to America! We were so happy and excited but we had to leave my grandma, my aunts, and my uncle behind. I was sad but excited to go to America. I have been in America many years and have lived in Las Vegas and Pittsburgh. But my grandma, aunt and uncle and cousins are still in Somalia, and I miss them very much."-- Asia

"I came to America because my people were killed, and we had to move to the refugee camps. We move from Myanmar to the camp in Thailand slowly, through the forest so we wouldn't get caught. The Buddhists and the Christians believe in peace but they still kill. This doesn't make sense to me." --Daler

I've realized in the last year that one of the most powerful things I can do is share other stories and see where people are led as a result. My prayer is that your eyes may be opened to the need in this world and compassion would flow from your life.

Fruits of the Spirit

Thursday night 14 young college women gathered in my apartment for our first Bible study of the year! We went around the room and introduced ourselves saying our name, where we are from, our year, what we are studying, and a little interesting fact about us. There really wasn't anything too special about the introduction, but it was neat to see that God has brought such a unique group together!

I offered a few areas that I thought may be of interest to study this semester and as a group we have decided to study the fruits of the spirit in Galations 5:22 and relate it to our walk as Christians. While we were discussing topics, God also put on many girls hearts the desire to study the bible for guidance and direction in how we can share our faith. We know that we are to emulate God's love as christians and share the hope we have in Him, but often it is a struggle. So, we now have a starting spot for where God will lead us and my prayer is that we can grow in recognizing the fruits of the spirit and how we can use them to share God's father-heart for the world.

While I was looking for some topics and ideas for the bible study I stumbled upon this youtube video. I enjoyed watching it and made me reevaluate what parts of my life I invite God into while I am at school. Just thought I would share it. : )

Creative Expression Bible Study

Well, it's September and my journey has brought me back to school and thrown me right in the middle of campus life. Before leaving for South Africa, I co-led a bible study for Campus Crusade for Christ on campus and I am excited to be back and leading a bible study again this semester! While praying for different ideas for a bible study, God kept leading me back to the creative expression times we had in our discipleship training school in South Africa. Before this journey began, when I thought of creativity I thought, “What! Creativity? I love to color but anything past that and I am lost.” However, the staff in s.a. placed a high value on it and challenged my views. We talked about God as the perfect and best creator! Think, he made such simple things like flowers to beautiful complex creations like the human body and think how amazing all of that is for us! Now, if we are all made in the image of God, then aren’t we all creators in some sense? Since coming back, the realization of being creative has surfaced in many aspects of my life from trying to be creative in cooking dinners, decorating the apartment, studying for classes, or even in conversations with other people. To others it may not seem different from how I have been in the past, but believing I can have a creative approach to things has helped boost my confidence and helped to put some spice in typically boring tasks.

Now back to the beginning of this story. While praying for an idea for a bible study, I feel God is guiding me to lead a creative expression bible study. I am not exactly positive where God will take it and I am incredibly nervous with how it will all work out, but I have peace knowing God is in control. One journey through Africa is over and now this is a story of a new journey, trusting God to lead a group of young women towards knowing and loving Him more.

Tell the World that Jesus Lives

After leaving White River Sunday morning, I finally made it home safely Monday evening. My family welcomed me home at the airport and took me out for dinner at Olive Garden and custard at Kopps for desert! I had almost forgotten what it was like to have delicious food after 2 months of beans, rice, and cabbage all the time. I have been trying to think of one last entry that would be able to appropriately express what these last five months meant to me. Do I share my favorite part or the most challenging part? How the children in Mozambique and Uganda captured my heart? Maybe I could try to explain how God revealed himself in such a real way or how my faith has changed? Then of course, I could go on for hours about the new family I have in South Africa, how much they impacted my life and truly demonstrated a radical love. Each one seems like an endless story though that can’t really be put into words on a blog! Words can’t adequately express the brokenness I experienced during different lectures or how vulnerable I felt while visiting the orphans. So I leave you with this —during these last five months I’ve learned that pushing God’s hand away and trying to do things on my own doesn’t work. So instead of pushing it away, I grabbed on tight and encountered the power of His presence. I’ve begun a process of growing and I know He still has a lot more growth for me even now that I am back at home. I do not know what comes next, but I understand now that not knowing is okay. After all, that is what it means to live by faith. So my prayer is that each one of you will be able to experience something similar to what I have the last 5 months. I pray that you will be completely broken and have an experience that leaves you speechless, in awe of God’s love.

DTS 2009 from Jen Price on Vimeo.

I once was blind, but now I see

This was our last week of ministry here in Jinja, Uganda and it was busy. We visited 7 houses, spent Friday during the day with Mary at Woman at Risk ministry, and cooked a dinner and had a party for a family of 15 orphans Friday night! In general though, the week was really difficult for me. Part of it was the pure exhaustion of being gone from 8 in the morning until 6 at night each day. Another part was the story of these families we were meeting, the intensity of their love despite poverty, and their joy beyond circumstances. On Monday we visited one family in the morning and in the afternoon we went to visit another family that had 10 children, but one girl stood out amongst them all and captured my attention. As we walked into the house it began to pour outside and the rain pounded on the tin roof making it impossible to hear each other. The mother motioned for us to sit on a broken bench, offering us her best as she settled down on the hard floor. As I sat down I looked to my right and saw a young girl, 9 years old, who had the biggest smile on her face. I tried to shout and ask her for her name but she just continued to smile at me. I thought maybe she didn't understand English, but usually when that is the case they just respond, "I am fine." (They think we are asking, how are you?.) So I tried one more time, just a little louder and the response was still just a big smile and then her eyes looking around. One of the men who cares for the family came to me and said "She is dumb." I was a little taken back at first. I thought, "how can you say this beautiful girl is dumb? Even if she is a little slow to learn,she can't possibly deserve to be called dumb." I think he saw that on my face and began to explain that the girl is deaf and mute. I signaled for her to come over and she sat on my lap. Song pulled out is guitar and despite the rain, he played music and we worshiped the loving God of these children. He played amazing grace and when he sang the line, "I once was blind but now I see" I could not help but let the tears go from my eyes. Here I was singing and a little annoyed at the rain and this little girl on my lap who could not hear never stopped smiling. Even though she could not hear the music, she looked at the rest of her family and clapped along with them. Then she began to take my hands and trace my fingers and the palm of my hand with hers. She pointed at my few freckles and giggled. Her laugh had so much joy in it and I wondered if she knew that. I wondered if she knew how her laughter spread through my soul and made me feel like Jesus was sitting next to me. We pulled out watercolors for all the children in the family and as they drew, the young girl would point at different pictures and teach me the words in sign language- car, flower, soccer, and fish were just a few. The whole time we were there she never left my side and her smile never left her face. As we said goodbye, I couldn't get her out of my mind. Everywhere we went, I saw her face. I couldn't understand why God had not healed her. She is already living in shack, sleeping on a hard floor, and struggling for food and school fees. Why can't she enjoy the sound of the guitar? The rain pounding on the roof? The sound of her beautiful laughter? Then God reminded me of His faithfulness and His love for His children. Maybe she can't hear the laughter, but her smile shines brighter than any other. I've heard that if you do not have one of your senses, the rest of your senses are even more sensitive. So maybe God has given her more joy from the taste of a banana and the vivid blue in the sky. And even though she may not be able to hear others say "Jesus loves you" or even "I love you," I have a feeling that this girl knows God's touch in a special way without the noise of this world feeding her lies about her beauty and identity as a child of God. She has a special place in my heart now.

On Monday we are leaving Jinja and beginning our journey back to South Africa. We will have a few days there to relax and debrief on our ministry then it will be back to the United States on June 1st! It's strange to think that in one week I will no longer be driving on the left side of the road or wondering if I remembered to bring tp with me into town for the bathroom! So please pray for our team as we travel back to south africa and then once again, a long 24 hour trip back to the states.

This is the Lawyer.

These past few weeks we have been working closely with a YWAM Uganda ministry called Orphans Know More. Each day we go to a different house that is caring for orphans and spend the day with the family. Some families have 5 orphans and others have over 20! Orphans Know More is aiding the families in providing school fees for the children to receive an education while the family provides a safe place for the children to learn about Jesus with food and shelter. The help from Orphans Know More is good but these families are still struggling to provide food and sickness is like a plague to some of them. Malaria is very common in this region and the cost of caring for it is high. Some of the families have mosquito nets, but the young children are sleeping on floors with nothing preventing them from rolling out of the net and being bit! Despite the hardship of life just for a regular family living in an impoverished land, these families live by faith, trust God to provide, and open their doors to children whom the rest of the community refuses to help.

At one house we went to, I met a young man named William. He lost his father when he was very young and lost his mother around 12. When they died, William became the oldest at home with 3 younger siblings. For two years he worked different jobs and paid his own way through school. His aunts and uncles rejected him and his family, refusing to help them. He asked me if that would happen in the United States and I had no idea what to say. We do not have the orphan crisis that Uganda has—it is not common for both parents to die and leave behind children. In addition, so many families here already are struggling day to day to have food, shelter, and fees for school for their own children. William's question really challenged me. I can come here and be more than excited to love these children and spend time with them, but what if this was my life? Would I live in fear of how difficult a task it may be to care for more children or would I have an open heart and FAITH to let God surprise me by how He provides?After 2 years of praying, Orphans Know More came to William’s aid and now him and his siblings are all able to go to school. William is now 19 and studying at the university. He is a focused student and full of dreams to make it out of poverty. He said someone here can work in a field for a whole day and only make 3,000 shillings—about $1.50. I pray that God will open doors for him and show him favor in school and trying to get a job here.

Everything is going very well here. Our team has had a few sicknesses here and there but for the most part we are all staying healthy. I'm still trying to get rid of this ringworm on my arm. It's becoming a part of me now though so there may be separation anxiety when it finally leaves. We get around by taxi most of the time and even though they squish us, it is nothing compared to Mozambique where people sit on top of each other. A few times we have taken motorbikes to get around when it is just a short distance. Ladies are supposed to sit sideways on them and I tried the first few times, but it was hard! I don't know how these African women do it.So I have given up and I will settle with the African's wondering why I ride like a man. Also while we have been here, I have been given a few new names. Apparently Laura is difficult to understand. Every time I introduce myself, they think I say lawyer! So now Song, Stanley, and John have taken it that I become introduced as lawyer everywhere we go before I even have a chance to say Laura. Some people accept it, others stare at me strangely, and one man said "Finally, a lawyer for Christ!". Anyways, we have one more week here. So thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for our team health and safety.

Uganda

We are here in Uganda and safe! We have been here for the last two weeks and are plugging into different ministries. We went on a few home visits last week and worked with a ministry called Women at Risk that works with prostitutes. This week we are working with Orphans Know More and going to different houses that each care for orphans. Yesterday we visited a home that had about 15 orphans living there. God is really opening my eyes to the orphan crisis here and through that also showing me his faithfulness to His children. I would love to write more but I have no time! Hopefully I will have a chance to update sometime soon. Thank you for all of your prayers and support.

There is something about Mary.

We arrived here in Jinja, Uganda about 2 weeks ago and God is faithfully keeping us safe and guiding us in ministry here. In the short time we have been here, we have heard many different stories and all have touched my heart in a different way, but I want to share with you one particular story of a lady named Carol. In a near by village, there is a lady, Mary, who runs a ministry for women who have been trapped in prostitution as a way to support themselves and their family. Last friday, we went to visit Mary and work with her in the morning. She is currently discipling about 8 different women who she befriended at night clubs. Her ministry is called Women at Risk and she takes the women through a 12 week program of sharing the gospel with them, supporting them, and working with them to find a new way to support themselves. While we were there, Mary was teaching the women about forgiveness and she asked the ladies to make a list of women they have not been able to forgive. When the women came back, one of them, Carol, had written God's name on the list. I would like to share with you her story.

Carol grew up in Northern Uganda and when she was young, the rebels came and killed both of her parents. Carol and her sister went to hide in the bushes, but as the rebels were about to leave, her younger sister began to cry. The rebels heard her and went searching in the bushes for the tears. When they found her younger sister, they cut her in half, right in front of Carol's eyes. Carol was able to escape and she found a person to take her here, to Jinja, in southern Uganda. When she got here, she was given to a man who began to sexually abuse her and from that, Carol gave birth to two children. The man promised to take care of Carol and the children but he got her involved in prostitution then left her and never came back. Carol does not understand how a loving God could let such terrible things happen to such a young child. I know the reality is that we live in a fallen world and that evil does exist, but even with that knowledge, I do not know the answer to Carol's question and in no way can I relate to the trauma that she has been through. Despite that though, hearing Carol's story and her questions still taught me a few things. One, everyone has a story. Before we went to work with Mary, I was questioning how these women could ever get involved in something like prostitution. After hearing Mary's story though, I was reminded that judging and making assumptions about people comes all too easily. Carol has changed her life and given her life to following Jesus despite all the things that stand against her and speak lies that she is not loved-- poverty, abuse, and horrible memories that I can't imagine. Only a God who loves His children has the power to give courage and strength to change a persons life like that. Despite my opinions of prostitution, it was a way for Carol to provide for her family and now, she has left it behind to trust that God is bigger than this world and has a way to bless her and her children in a poverty stricken country. She may still be working out her past with God and learning to see how He loved her through the hardship, but her faith is real and alive. Just as any relationship has challenges, I believe her relationship with God is allowed to have challenges too. I don't think He needs us to protect His self-esteem by saying we are okay when it is not true. God has brought her to Mary and allowed our team to be part of her walk with God as well and I trust that He will continue to walk this struggle of forgiveness out with her. From all of this, I am now challenged to hear the story of every person we meet to gain understanding and see the wonders God is working out in other's lives.

Hola Mozambique

Yesterday we returned from a two-week adventure in Mozambique. We stayed with a church in a small community called Machava right outside of Maputo. Part of our time was spent painting rooms and digging a long ditch at a property down the street. The property is being prepared for a new YWAM base with an orphanage and the ditch will deliver water to the house! It was a lot of physical labor and tiring in the heat, but it was an enjoyable time talking with our group and also building a relationship with Alice and her son, Mahle, who are living on the property now. Mahle is almost 3 years old and full of energy. His desire was to help us, but when a 3 year old grabs a paint brush or hoe, there is no way to know where the adventure will take him! In addition to enjoying helping though, Mahle could play chase for hours so we would take turns chasing him. By the end of the time, he would come to me, whisper “Vamos a correr” which means, let’s run, and run off just giggling. One day, while I was chasing him, he kept falling and telling me he was tired, but when I asked if he wanted to sit down, he would enthusiastically say no and keep on running!

The other part of our ministry in Mozambique was helping with Youth For Christ’s work in an even smaller community than Machava. We went with Lauren to a church for a feeding program. When we drove into the community children ran from every direction to catch a ride with us in the bucky (that is what they call trucks here). Lauren said that on some days they pile 30-40 children in the back. They all are just thrilled to get a short ride, even if it is only 5 minutes. The church is a simple concrete building—no windows or doors or any furniture. About 100 children came and were fed a bowl of porridge. After each child was given a bowl, they put the pot the porridge was served from in the middle and the children sprinted to it to get as much of the scraps as they could. One of the most difficult parts of the feeding program though, was seeing young children, 4 or 5, carrying their younger siblings, 1 or 2, on their back. I watched one girl who shared a bowl of porridge with her sister. She would take one spoonful for herself, give her younger sister 3, and repeat it until the bowl was gone. Another girl fed her younger brother then turned and he jumped right on her back and I never saw him get off the entire time we were with them. Although it was difficult to see, John pointed out to me how much you can see that they care for one another. No one is alone and I think they demonstrate the brotherly love Jesus calls us to have with each other in a beautiful way.

After spending the morning with the children, we split into groups and went with a translator to visit homes. (They speak Portuguese and Shangan) Brittany and I visited four different houses and each was unique, yet similar in some ways. Each house was very formal in our visits. When we walked in, they greeted us and immediately found chairs for us to sit down in. Even when we visited a one-room house made out of straw and had a tin roof, the woman living there found water containers for us to sit on. Many of the houses we visited were broken families, with either no father or a father that worked very far away and only came home once in a while to give money. I would like to share with you the story of one particular house we visited. Living there was a mother and daughter. When we were first speaking to her, she wasn’t opening up much about her life. I asked her what growing up in the community was like and she said she enjoyed it very much. However, I really felt God was telling me to ask her what dreams or hopes she had for her young daughter. When I asked her the question, she opened up to us and her story broke my heart. Her husband works in a mine and comes home every other week. When he is home, he abuses drugs, which makes him a “mad man,” as the mother described to us, and he beats her and their young daughter. Her desire is to leave her husband for her daughter’s safety, but a fear is controlling her. Her husband’s uncle is involved in witchcraft and the husband has threatened to put a curse on their daughter if she leaves. We asked if her family supports her and she said they are too scared to say anything. We spoke with the mother and encouraged her that God is stronger and more powerful than any witchcraft. We talked with her about not allowing fear to control, but putting trust in Christ. Before we left, we prayed with her and she was very grateful, explaining that she was feeling hopeless with the situation. Not having grown up in a culture where witchcraft has any real influence, it is hard for me to understand how it can have such control over a person’s life. Hearing this woman speak though, broke my heart and gave me a taste of the power of lies being spoken to the communities. I know that God is more powerful and I know His heart is for them to experience the fullness of His love. So my prayer is that these families choose to turn to God and trust Him.  I pray that God will work in her husband’s heart and change his life in a radical way, so their family may be united and their marriage could reflect God’s love for us.

While we were in Mozambique, we also had some time to explore. The community we were staying in was very small with bumpy dirt roads. A short walk from our house was a market where you could buy anything from a live chicken to fruits and vegetables or a deck of cards. We didn’t have any car to drive us around, so when we wanted to get into the city we had to find a chappa, which is a taxibus. Luckily we rented chappas to use because I do not know how I would have breathed in a normal chappa. The chappas are 15 passenger vans, but on average about 25 people squeeze into one! In one chappa all you could see was a bunch of butts pressed up against the windows. Other times, when we did not have to rent out a chappa, we were fortunate enough to make friends who drove us in their bucky, but that was never a dull experience either. As a group, we are now professionals at pushing a truck to get it started. We went to the beach one day and swam in the Indian Ocean and also were able to eat Mozambique prawns, which were delicious. Overall, the trip was wonderful! We are now staying here in South Africa for 2 days and on Wednesday morning we will leave to fly to Uganda for 4 ½ weeks. 

The view of Maputo from the other side of the harbor

These two photos are from the feeding program. Notice the young girls carrying children.

I was attacked by misquitos! 25 bites on one of those elbows and one turned out to actually be ringworm. I am using a cream now and it should be gone soon.  

A frequent view--pushing the bucky to get it started. 

Yebo!

So what’s new?

1) Well, the biggest news is that we leave on MONDAY for Mozambique! On Monday we will pile into a taxi and drive to Maputo, Mozambique to begin our outreach phase. Yesterday we began practicing skits that we will use during our children’s programs or if we are asked to run a church service. I am really excited, but it still feels a bit surreal, especially that it is coming so soon. We are still in great need of prayer for our trip—1) many of us are still need financial support. (If you are able to help, look at my last post for how to support us!) 2) after 3 months of class and community outreach, we are in need of physical and spiritual rest 3) that our plans will be God’s plans. As we prayed, we got the Parable of the Prodigal Son. We are focusing on the son’s return to the father and the father’s joy and celebration in that return! Please pray that we continue to be sensitive to God’s guidance in our planning. 4) safety in traveling! Mozambique is about 2 hours away and Uganda will be about a 5 hour plane ride, but continual prayer for our safety even while traveling in the country.

2) Last week a group of 10 came from New Hope church in Wiley, Texas to join us on the base. Their pastor, Keith, led our class last week in learning how to make change stick! There were four key things—a) God must initiate the change, b) we have to be obedient to follow, c) live out the change within a community and d) our attitudes must be ready and willing to change. The teaching really challenged me to consider whether God or my own will initiates changes in my life. God made us all creative individuals so I think sometimes I become a little creative in how I want to change, but when I look back I can see it’s only been the changes from God’s heart that really stick!

3) This past weekend the New Hope team organized a soccer tournament for the children in the two communities we work in—Mbonsweni and Kobokweni. We started the morning off with the church service then went to a large soccer field where they played soccer and netball and the younger kids had their face painted and played with hula-hoops! It was a beautiful day and great to see the two communities come together.

4) Facebook’s new change has made it impossible to use at the property. The internet connection is so slow that we can look at things but we can’t write messages or make comments or do anything! Well, as we say here, t.i.a.—this is Africa.

5) Monique and I have switched out the jazzercise video for Billy’s Celebrity Tae Bo. At first, I just felt hopeless from my lack of coordination, but with a little bit of practice, I think Monique and I are on our way to being Tae Bo masters. It’s still not the same release as running, but it keeps me moving! Plus, I have to be ready to give my brother some competition in running after he is done with his marathon. Psh! Who ever thought he would get to run one before me? (just kidding bro, you know I love you!)

6) We have our visas for Uganda! We took a group trip to Pretoria last Monday. When we were there I had to get a photo taken for my visa, but I wasn’t allowed to smile. The photo looks like my mug shot. I don’t really understand why you can’t smile for it. Does Uganda only want people who look like they are out to kill to come to their country?

7) Sickness has plagued the base. I think almost every single one of us has been sick at least once these last two-weeks either with a cold or things coming out one end or the other in an unhealthy way.  I was so excited because I thought, by the grace of God, that I had escaped it, but Sunday night it hit me. I am doing better now, but there are still a few sick so prayers for our health, especially before outreach, are appreciated.

8) I learned my lesson about sunscreen. After the community stay, my hair was in braids from the girls and my whole entire head burned. Then last week, I noticed my head was incredibly itchy only to find that my entire scalp was peeling! I’m thanking God that He has blessed me with a friend like Monique who spent a good hour peeling my head for me so I didn’t need to walk around all flaky. My lesson learned—even if I have to smear sunscreen all in my hair like shampoo, I will do it to avoid the pain of a burned head. 

2 weeks to go!

During the past three months I have spent in South Africa, God has given me opportunities to spend time with orphaned and vulnerable children here. Each week we help with feeding programs in two communities and have the chance to bless them with our presence and God’s love for them. It can be challenging to see a 14-year-old girl caring for her younger sibling on her back, children with holes in their clothes, and knowing some have no food for dinner that night. Despite the difficulties though, I am continually encouraged by God’s faithfulness to these children. He has broken the hearts of women like Elizabeth and Mama V and created within them a desire to serve His children. He continually provides for them and the joy and thankfulness they have for it is moving. 

On April 6^th, I will be leaving for Mozambique with the 6 other DTS students and 2 staff members. We will spend two weeks there, then fly to Uganda to continue ministry for 4½ weeks. I am excited for the opportunities God has for our group and ready to embrace every chance I am given to share His love for the children! We will be continuing to focus on the HIV/AIDS pandemic by working in orphanages, with orphan care projects, feeding schemes, and ministering to street children. Our desire is to bring hope to these children by showing them the love of Jesus in practical and spiritual ways.

More than anything, with two weeks left before we leave for outreach, our group would greatly appreciate your prayers. We are praying for the arrival of Eunice and Sandile’s passports, for favor on Monday in Petoria while getting visas for Uganda, spiritual and physical rest, and guidance in planning. Also, continual prayer for our group’s safety is wonderful way to support our group. 

In addition to those prayers, our group is need of prayer for finances. This outreach costs each of us $2,000 and covers housing, food, and transportation. However, as a group we have been working on preparations for programs and have many different ideas of ways we want to bless the children. We would love to bring crafts, face paint, and treats for the children, but as always, there is a cost for the things we desire. Would you prayerfully consider supporting my outreach financially? Your contribution would not only be investing in my life, but also in the lives of the orphaned and vulnerable children of Mozambique and Uganda.

To make a donation online, visit www.TenThousandHomes.org. Under GIFT INFORMATION put Laura Hokanson DTS outreach.

To make a donation by check, make your check payable to Ten Thousand Homes and send to P.O. Box 118 Wylie, TX 75098. Please include a separate note with my name and DTS outreach on it.

Both ways are tax deductible. 

Below are two pictures from this past week. The one on top is one from the community stay. On the left is my host sister, Zanele, and on the right is Sanezo. The bottom picture is of the feeding program in Mbonsweni this last Saturday. There were 153 children fed this past weekend. 

Commuity Stay.

Two weekends ago, Monique and I volunteered for the day shift at the AIDS hospice in the community. There were 10 beds and 10 patients—a full house to say the least! On the weekend they have two nurses on staff and, with a full hospice, they were on their feet all day. Our desire while being at the hospice was just to bless the patients and the staff, so we began our day by cleaning the bathrooms, moping the floor, and cleaning the kitchen. We helped to make breakfast for the patients and cleaned up afterwards and then did the same thing at lunch. At lunch, one of the nurses asked me to feed a patient. He was sleeping so I was hesitant to wake him, but she assured me that he needed to eat. I woke him up and gave him one spoonful of pop. I swear the pop sat in his mouth for two minutes before he had the strength to swallow the food. I could see the pain and the sweat on his body. He was so stick thin that I wanted so badly for him to eat and get some meat on his bones, but, at the same time, seeing how difficult it was for him made me want to take it out of his mouth and let him fall back asleep! The patients were sleeping most of the time we were there, but there was about a half hour window when the women in the hospice were awake so Monique and I gave them hand massages. It was about 1:30 when the nurse was finished giving medicine, bathing patients, and with her other duties. Since we arrived at 7 in the morning, I had not seen her sit down once so I tried to help her relax the only way I could think—by giving her a back massage. After visiting the hospice I see there is room for prayer for the patients and also prayer for a continual renewal of energy and strength for the staff!

Then this past Wednesday, our whole DTS went to Kobokweni to spend three nights living in the community. We were each given a different family to live with for the time. I lived with a family of 3 children—Zanele (11), Julia (16), and Sanezo (4). Their mother and grandmother lived with them along with their cousin who is 22. Their father works in Johannesburg and comes to visit at the end of every month. Their house was modest and, in comparison to others within the community, it was one of the nicer houses. However, the poverty was still very evident. They had two bedrooms with one bed each and then a third bed that was in the kitchen. There was a very tiny washroom with a sink, but no running water. In the corner of the kitchen were a few buckets that they filled with water that they used for their daily needs like washing dishes, cooking, and bathing.

While I was there, I shared life with them. We spent the days with Elizabeth helping her run the feeding program, but we spent the night and morning with our families. I ate dinner with them, which was a huge pile of pop and some sort of stew to go with it each night. On Thursday night, the Gogo (grandmother in SiSwati) insisted that I cook dinner. Praise the Lord that the oldest daughter, Julia was there to help me. I always thought that I could cook, but without the simple things I take for granted like a carrot peeler, sharp knives, or a stove I was lost! It really taught me an appreciation not only for the things I am blessed with but also for their ability to take simple things and creatively utilize them to the fullest!

At night I shared a bed with Zanele and at the end of our bed was a bucket in case I needed to use the bathroom. The first night I woke up freezing in the middle because Zanele was completely wrapped in the only blanket we had on the bed. I didn’t sleep very well, but in the morning Zanele woke up and threw the blanket on me. She sweetly came and tucked the blanket under my shoulders and feet and told me to go back to sleep. It was a simple act, but she showed me so much love in doing it! The African culture is a very early rising culture and since I was sleeping in the bed in the kitchen, I was woken by about 5:30 every morning. I managed to roll over a few times but never for too long. Without a second passing of me sitting up in the morning, Sanezo would run towards my bed and jump to sit next to me and talk. He didn’t speak any English, only SiSwati but that didn’t make a difference to him. He just talked and talked and occasionally paused to see if I had any reaction. I would smile and then he would just go on talking! Although I couldn’t understand Sanezo, the oldest daughter, Julia, spoke English very well. It helped to have someone I could talk with while living in a house and she also gifted me by teaching me a bit of SiSwati. She laughed a bit at my accent, but she was a very kind and patient teacher. Then every morning they filled a bucket with hot water for me to use to take a bucket bath and then served bread, butter, and tea for breakfast. They were a very welcoming family and I am grateful for the opportunity to have formed relationships with them and experience a new way of life!

African joy.

One of the things I have really been challenged to think about here is to discover what is my source of joy. While I am at home or at school, I was joyful when I had the chance to take a nap in between classes, go for a run in the park, spend time with my friends free of stress, sit down to have dinner with my family, or treat myself to some delicious frozen yogurt. If I didn't have the chance to do these things though, I will admit, I was not always the happiest girl in the world. If I didn't have the time, or the way, to spoil myself with what I enjoy, then it was a "bad"day. So where does my source of joy come from? Other people? Yes. Delicious treats? Yes. Running? Yes. But I realize now that those can't be my source of joy because none of them have a satisfaction that lasts. They can be things I ENjoy, but they aren't going to be where I find true, everlasting joy. John 15:9-11 says "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you...I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." I think I trust God with a lot in my life, but after thinking about my source of joy, I realize I struggle with trusting Him with my emotions. Living in a culture that has so many things that can bring me temporary joy has made it easier to rely on things rather than God. It's a work in process and there will probably be many times that I allow circumstances to determine my joy, but ultimately I know God is always there to strengthen me in His joy. 

This video is from www.mochaclub.org and it explains a lot of what I have been learning in the communities perfectly. Despite these children not having shoes or clothes without any holes or meals everyday, they have laughter full of happiness that is so inspiring. 

Mozambique and Uganda

On Sunday we woke up early and drove a van into Kruger Park. The trip started off well when it only took us 5 minutes to find two rhinos walking down the road! They graciously allowed us to follow them on their morning walk and even let us join as they "recycled" (a.k.a. Eunice's way of saying going to bathroom). After the rhinos we saw zebras, were surrounded by a herd of elephants and giraffes. We also saw hippos and their huge teeth, a crocodile, warthogs, and hundreds of impala's. I've seen these animals at the zoo before, but they are so much larger when they are in their natural home. I can look around everyday and see how beautiful God has created this world, but spending the day surrounded by these beautiful animals gave me another taste of God's immense beauty in creation!

This week we are beginning our outreach preparations! On April 6th we will be leaving for outreach in Maputo, Mozambique for two weeks and southern Uganda for four weeks. While we are in Mozambique we will doing ministry with street orphans and helping to establish a YWAM base to continue the work in the future and in Uganda we will be working with a YWAM ministry called Orphans Know More. This week we are working on preparing different ministry activities for the children and also building team unity so we are ready to share God's love as one. I am really excited for this opportunity and know the power God has to work through us on our outreach. As we prepare though, there is certainly a lot of details that are in the works and planning and preparing that we have ahead of us. So I thank everyone for their prayers on my trip so far and I ask that you would pray that God would be guiding us as we plan ministry this week and make the way for us this coming month as we prepare!

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18

NSF

This last week’s class focused on God’s Nature and Character. I wish there was a way to describe it all in this blog, but the depth of it is too much to fit into words here! But, I’ll try give to give you all a taste. We described God’s Nature as triune (3 in 1), eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and possessing a personality with will, intellect, and emotion. From His nature, God makes choices that form His character—love is the center and from love comes righteousness, mercy, wisdom, truthfulness, and faithfulness. The biggest part of the whole lesson for me though, was realizing the risk God takes in making love His highest law. Love wouldn’t be love it were forced and God, being all-knowing, knew this and makes loving Him a choice! In class we used the example of a boy asking a girl out on a date. In asking, he runs the risk of being rejected. The same is true for God. He runs the risk of being rejected everyday, yet He continually runs after us because He wants to love on us! Just as him loving us is a risk, we can choose to lead our lives in faith as risk or no risk. I’ve heard in church before and read it in the bible to “let God’s will be done.” At first it sounds like no risk involved on my part, God is in control and He runs the show. But looking at it a second time, completely submitting and letting God’s will be done is a HUGE risk. To let God’s will be done means I have to let go of my own will, my own desires, and let them die. That isn’t always the easiest thing, but if I look at God’s character, there is no reason to doubt that God’s will is the perfect, and most rewarding, way anyways.

Not only does God love, but also He is fun! So yesterday we had an NSF day—non-stop fun! We drove to a resort and spent the day swimming. They had a two slides—a big slide that reminded me of the slides at work and one that reminded me of a smaller version of those green and yellow slides at the Wisconsin state fair! We spent a lot of time going down those or relaxing in the different pools. The weather and the company were perfect!

The rest of the week was great too. Wednesday we threw a party for Monique. It was a surprise party for her and trying to keep it a secret from her almost killed me! You can watch a video her and Jocelyn made about the party and other updates from here, look at Monique’s blogspot— http://www.moniqueslaughter.blogspot.com/

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Galatians 5:6.

family.

This is Elizabeth, also Eunice's mother who run's the care center in Kabowkweni and below is a picture of the meal that the children are served three days a week at the center. The white is the pop, then there is chicken stew, beets, and a tiny bit of coleslaw. 

This is a picture of our view on the ride home from the retreat this past weekend and a picture of the DTS group, except we are missing John and Carla! From left to right it is Jocelyn, Stanley, Eunice with adorable Sandile, me, and then Monique! 

"When God loves us, He saturates us with Himself in order that our discovery of Him be real and legitimate. We each begin to discover how much beauty is around us, and we begin to notice His touch and His plan. Once we embrace Him and say 'I am soft now-- I don't only want you to be the God, I want you to be my God'-- that is when He gets aggressive and changes us. The unexpected twist is that He changes us by allowing us to change others. We follow His example. We get into others' lives. We are attentive. We help meet their needs and reveal to them God's beauty. This softens them until the point when they are prepared to have a true scar of love left behind." --From Flashbang by Mark Steele 

ee-taow! It is truth!

The first three days of last week were a chronological bible teaching! Franz and Brenda led the class and they began it off with a puzzle. They gave us a puzzle for children 8 and under, but didn’t give us the picture of the box. Easy, right? Well, after a few minutes of not being able to figure out where the pieces went, we finally said the magic phrase—“This would be easier with the big picture on the box”. Well, isn’t it the same with the bible? In school and church we are given stories in the bible, bits and pieces, but never have I had the opportunity to sit down and have the story of explained throughout from beginning to end. Franz started in the Old Testament and went through the New Testament, explaining stories of Abraham, Moses, Joseph, and Jesus to highlight God’s constant grace and mercy shown to us. Then the last day we watched a movie of the gospel being presented to a tribe in Papa New Guinea. The tribe lived in fear thinking that their ancestors would send spirits to kill them if they didn’t follow certain traditions. A couple went and lived with the tribe for 4 years, learning their language and their culture, before they even mentioned God. Then they held classes and everyday, everyone from the community would come to listen to the gospel in their native tongue. It was such an awesome testimony to the power in God’s word and just the desire within people for something greater with hope and love that will cast out fear—Jesus. It’s sometimes hard for me to realize that there are people in this world who have never heard of God or the hope of salvation. Seeing this movie really opened my eyes and put a new passion in me to share my faith with others! (And no mom, I don’t plan on going off to a far away tribe any time soon so don’t let the tears start going yet!)

Thursday and Friday we had a man from ACTS clinic, an AIDS clinic in the community, come and speak to us about AIDS. Him and his wife run a Christian clinic in Masoyi where they estimate about 35% of the population has HIV. He was very informing, but the neatest part of it was seeing how God is taking control of the disease. Nothing has changed—AIDS is still a terrible thing and not something anyone should want to live with, but Harry explained that there is now medicine that can help someone with HIV lead a more normal life. However, the disease carries such a stigma in African cultures that often many will die, not because they can’t be treated, but because they won’t be treated.

On Thursday we went to Kabowkweni and served about 100 children a meal of pop, chicken stew, beets, and coleslaw. Pop is basically steamed cornmeal and water mixed into a sticky substance. At first it looks like mashed potatoes, but once you taste it you realize the texture is really grainy and not as delicious as potatoes! Monique, Eunice, and I put the food on plates while Carla carried the plates to the children. The time we had there was really great. I spent most of my time chasing the little boys around in the playground area. Then a few would come and attach themselves to my legs until I tickled them and they would run around again. The kids there are so precious. I asked Eunice at night what kind of houses most of them lived in. She said, and I’ve heard this before, that many live in child-headed houses where the oldest child, maybe around 13-17 years old is in charge of the house. Others live with their aunts in houses that are too small or have leaky roofs where the rain falls through. Even though I keep hearing that the children are the head of the houses, I can’t wrap my brain around it! I can barely care for myself now, at the age of 20, without my parents. These children are leading lifestyles that I can’t comprehend or even imagine.

This weekend we went on a retreat with the church we attend during the week to lead the children’s program. First off, it was nice to get away from the base for a weekend to relax. We also had the opportunity to talk with different members of the church, so it feels more like a home now. And we were able to have a hot shower for the first time in weeks! Truthfully though, I was happy just to be in a place that we could shower. Our water at the base was turned off when we woke up Friday morning and now that we are back, and it is Monday night, it still isn’t on. Once again, I am thankful for every drop of water. Harry even mentioned during his talk on AIDS that if Africa had clean water it could reduce the amount of children that died young significantly. The retreat was a great time though and we had a beautiful weekend for weather. It seemed like the first time we’ve had 3 sunny days in a row and I even got some sun, imagine that! 

love.

"And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us." 1 John 3:23

Father God

Well this week began with what we have all decided was the world’s quietest superbowl party! But before I get to that exciting story, I think God has given me some other stories that are just as worthy of telling! 

1) We finished up our lecture last week titled the Fatherheart of God. Each day was full of great teaching that I think will continue to challenge me throughout all of my time here. On the other hand, it was also a good reminder that God is not just a distant God but He desires to be our heavenly Father who provides, comforts, and loves us all. It says in Galatians 4:6 says “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out “Abba, Father”. God has adopted us to be his children and invites us to reap the benefits of that with Him. Mmm, pretty sweet if you ask me.

2) Saturday morning I cooked breakfast! And Sunday night I also helped cook, although I am still working on building those cooking/baking skills. Now, this may not seem like a big deal to everyone, but I was pretty excited that nothing burned on Saturday morning. And attempting to cook muffins on Sunday only reminded me that it may take a while to overcome the challenges of baking I’ve inherited from the family. Anyone who knows my dad understands that once a Hokanson starts to bake something, it may not be perfect at first, but we don’t give up. Right pops? (a.k.a. our first few attempts at cookies…. J )

3) Saturday morning we went to Mbonisweni for outreach. We began by helping the children clean their clothes. We had a difficult time finding any clean water though. They have big containers of what is supposed to be clean water. So Eunice and I began to pour it into a bucket. At first it was clear, but by the end it was all black and dirty. So then we went to a different container to try to get water. That water was clearer, but had lots of little worms that were all over it. God is really teaching me the value of clean water! Eventually we were able to find a bucket of rainwater that was cleaner and we helped to wash the clothes.

Once the clothes were hung up we went to play with the children that were there. Two of the girls were taking bricks from the yard to build mini-houses! I wish I had had my camera to take a picture of their houses. It was probably about two feet wide and about a foot tall made out of broken bricks. One of the little girls crawled into the house and even swept it out. She invited Jocelyn to crawl into it, but there is no way any of us would have been able to crawl into it. It was cute nonetheless! We then went down the street to the soccer field where Stanley was with the boys playing soccer. I tried to jump in on the game, but I’m pretty sure they just laughed at me. So, instead, I raced one of the girls around the field. Whoa! I was so tired afterwards, but it felt great to race them. I tried to race Stanley too. He gave me a head start and still beat me by about ¼ of the field. I told him, by the end of the DTS I’ll be able to cream him—he understood the sarcasm. J

Soon it was time for all the children to go eat their pop and for us students to go prepare the crafts. There is a large dirt area under a tree that is a good place to organize crafts and things, but it had to be cleaned first. Brittany sent me to get a broom to clean it up. I was a bit confused at first, but then they handed me a thing made of twigs. It looked a bit like a duster, but made out of twigs. So I bent over and used it to sweep away all the leaves from underneath the tree. Eunice said that if I could do that, I could be a strong African woman. In her words, that is a compliment! Once the children were done eating, we had paper and paint for them to use, stickers to give out, play-doh to be used, and balloons for them.

4) Sunday night community night was another good time of fellowship. Dave Song led us in a time of worship and then we prayed together for the coming week. Then we celebrated our last night with the rest of the Orlando team watching Kung-Fu Panda off a projector outside with popcorn! The rest of the Orlando team left today to go to Mozambique for the rest of their outreach. Now things are a bit quieter on the base. When we first got here there were over 60 people here and now there are about 10 of us left!

5) Now for the superbowl! I will forever be a Packers fan, but I figured if I was going to cheer for anyone, Pittsburgh would be a pretty good option in this game. We found a church in Nelspruit, about 20 minutes away, that has cable and let us use their t.v. to watch the game live. The game began at about 1:30 in the morning here, so at 12:30, we piled into a van and drove to the church. About 20 staff members, students, and Orlando team members came to join in on the American tradition. I stayed up for the first quarter of the game, went in and out the second quarter, stayed up to watch Bruce sing and dance away on stage, then fell asleep until the last 5 minutes of the game! I think out of all of us there, only 2 stayed up the whole time! I enjoyed watching the game, but because we are in South Africa, there were no commercials! However, Lynn was skyping with her relatives back home during the game, and we learned that we saw the game faster than everyone in the states. With no commercials, they didn’t have as much time in between plays during the game! Crazy, but I think I would have preferred the commercials. By the time the game was over, it was 5:30 in the morning here and we all sleepily piled back in the kombi and drove back to the base to get a few hours of sleep before we were up for class at 8 this morning!

That’s the update for now. God is continuing to make Himself known to me, whether it is working in the communities, in class, or just in fellowship with everyone here, and I’m enjoying every minute of it. My love goes back to all of you at home! 

Do As I Do

Well, I learned today that Jocelyn is friends with Beyonce and Obama walked all the way from Africa to the United States. Did you know that? :) 

Today we went to Kabokweni to assist with the feeding program.When we got there, only a few children were at Elizabeth’s house and out of school. So we played with the children and washed a few of the school uniforms for the orphans. We taught them the Jesus Hokey Pokey and played “Do as I do” with the kids. The children were so lovable as they had a look of longing in their eyes. I noticed on one boy today that his one eye did not open. I couldn’t tell if it was swollen or just always that way. Another girl had a large scar on one of her legs and many of the children just had a thirst for attention that no one could miss. I loved so much being able to just grab each one of them and hug them.

After we played a few games, the children began to sing a prayer that no one prompted them to sing. It was so beautiful. Something about the way African’s sing is so moving and touching. Jocelyn and I think maybe it is the way they speak, that their languages use more of their voices or throats or something, but not a single one lacks a gorgeous voice. When you put it all together, it sounds like the professional singers in Broadway’s Lion King except with much more heart behind the voices. We all joined in on helping to serve the kids. I would say that at least 60-70 children were served a meal of pop, chicken stew, and beets and I am a terrible estimate of numbers, so I think there were probably more!

 

He is our King

Saturday night, we got the opportunity to get off the base and enjoy ourselves a bit! We went to the movie theater to see Bride Wars and have a nice cool treat of ice cream. The movie theater was a lot like ours at home, except it only cost 33R which is about $3 compared to the $9 movies at home. I really enjoyed the movie and it even got a few tears out of me!?! I was so caught up in the movie though, that when it finished I was confused!  I thought I was back home in the states for a minute until we were back out in the parking lot in warm weather, in the middle of January, driving on the left side of the road. 

Sunday morning we woke up and went to Elizabeth’s (Eunice’s mother) church in Kabokweni. The church was SO alive! They had one drummer and a person playing a keyboard, yet it felt like they had a whole band up there. The church was in a large one-room garage essentially. When we walked in, I was surprised to see how many children there were compared to adults. I know that there are so many orphans here, and I know those are whom we are ministering too, but it’s so easy for me to just imagine there parents are just at home working. I can’t wrap my head around how these children live. For instance, the Orlando team is building a home for orphans. Do these children live in a house with no parents? How do they get food then? The whole situation is so immense that I’m barely beginning to understand it, but seeing so many children in church without parents, was a bit surreal. Anyways, when we walked in, everyone was up and dancing. They were singing in an African language, so sadly I couldn’t understand them. But they would sing songs, then someone would begin to speak and everyone would quickly sit down. They a lady in the choir would get up and start to sing and everyone would join in singing and dancing again. Then someone would begin to speak, and everyone would sit down right away again. The sitting and standing was almost a dance routine in itself. At one point, everyone in the church formed a conga-line and danced and sang around in a circle! They had so much joy and happiness. It was contagious. I kept thinking though, how beautiful their expression of love was to God. And in that thought, I begin to just marvel at all the different ways people praise Him. My church in Milwaukee is mostly hymnals, North Way Oakland is very modern music and people freely raise their hands in praise, and then here is an African church full out dancing as they worship God. How people express their love for God can vary so much, but it’s so neat to think that God loves everyone of them. Finally, after much dancing and singing, a Pastor gave a message on God’s grace. I do not have a watch yet, so I am not sure exactly how long the service was, but it was at least 2 hours long. It got a bit hot when the pastor turned all the fans of for his sermon, but besides that it wasn’t too bad.

To finish off the weekend, Sunday night was community night! Other community nights have been mostly worship and prayer, but this night, we split the group into two and played a game of capture the flag. It was a bit of a different version than I am used to playing and we played on a very small area, almost like the size of our gym. My team lost, but it’s all good. We gave it our best try! After a bit of playing, the staff member brought us ice cream as a nice cool treat. Sunday was very hot, so it was nice to have a refreshing dessert. 

rain down mighty God

After having no water from Thursday morning till Monday night, I have a new appreciation for something that is so simple yet so important! For a while, we were able to get some clean water from a tap, but that ran out quickly. Then there was no water for the showers, washing dishes, cooking, washing our hands, flushing the toilets, or drinking. Thank God for hand sanitizer, baby wipes, and that we have a pool on the base that became our sole source of water. We filled up bottles to flush the toilets and to wash the dishes. Not the most sanitary way of washing dishes, but I think enough of us were praying over it that we all made it through without any harm. On Thursday, we lost power for the whole day and so we didn’t have water than either. However, what I never would have thought about through this whole time, was water for baby formula! Luckily, we were able to make it to Eunice’s house in the morning to get clean water for Sentila’s formula.

Yesterday morning, I had the opportunity to go with Eunice and Brittany to a clinic in Kabokweni. We were going so that Sentila could have her immunization, but it was also a neat experience for me to see a clinic. It was rather small and by the time we got there at 7 in the morning, all the benches were full of people waiting to be seated and a line formed of women with their children, waiting for shots to be given. We waited for about an hour in line, which seemed so long!  Yet, everyone was just patiently waiting. At one point, a nurse came up to ask Brittany and me if she could help us. It was a strange experience being picked out of the crowd because I was a white in the clinic. The towns we are working in are mainly black Africans, but a lot of the other towns are mixed a lot more than it is in the states. I suppose because I had seen so much of the main cities being mixed, that the amount of racial difference that still exists here just hadn’t hit me yet. During the week, I had a chance to watch Catch a Fire with Eunice and Stanley. It is a story about South African’s freedom and if you ever have a chance, I suggest watching it. It was very good. But, that also gave me an opportunity to talk with them about South Africa’s freedom. Eunice told me, that had it been 10 years ago, there is no way she would be in the class now with all of us. In a way, it makes our ministry here just that much more neat. I hope we can show love to the communities to help mend the face of whites in this country.

This week, we had a South African man, named Ronas lead our class through a discussion about culture in ministry and also leadership. The culture part was very interesting! We talked about differences in culture. For example, men will eat first in the African culture, and then the women and children will eat afterwards. Also, they refer to their father’s sister’s children as their brothers and sisters along with their mother’s father’s children as brothers and sisters. But their mother’s sister’s kids and their father’s brother’s kids are their cousins. Uh? Way to make it complicated. J I also learned that it is common for African men to just stop on the side of the rode to go to the bathroom. Since then, I have witnessed this cultural tendency at least 5 times.  One big thing we also talked about was presenting the gospel without the culture. It’s such a simple statement, but something I had never really considered. Ronas was telling us that when missionaries came here, they all wore suits and ties. Now, pastors here are looked down upon greatly if they don’t wear a suit and tie, even though it is really unrealistic expectation with the extreme heat here. Hm, just a little something that I’ve thought a lot about this week! Next week, one of the staff members will be leading us in a class titled The Fatherheart of God.

Everything else is going well here. We now have the internet available at the base so hopefully I will have the opportunity to provide ya’ll with more updates. Thank you for the continued prayers! And I’ll leave you with the words from one of the songs we sing with the kids here. I wish I could record it and put it up here for you to hear, because it’s adorable, but the words will have to do for now.

“He’s a good God, He’s a mighty God, He’s so lovely” And then there is some African language thrown in there too, but that’s still a bit too advanced for me. But amen to it anyways.

Also, if you would like to read more about our time here you can read Jocelyn’s blog at alwaysspreadlove.blogspot.com and Monique’s at moniqueslaughter.blogspot.com

Sawubona!

Sawubona! I believe that means hello, how are you! in Siswati or possibly just a big happy greeting.  Either way, I have made it safely to the YWAM base in South Africa and have been here since Sunday. The trip was a long plane ride and then a nice 4 hours bus ride next to a man from Capetown who enjoyed singing along to Abba’s Super Trooper—entertaining to say the least.

 

When we arrived at the base, there were already about 60 different people here. There is a small group from a church in New York that is here working in the community for two weeks and then there are two Discipleship Training School programs that were on their outreach here, one from Orlando, Florida and the other from Worchester, South Africa (near capetown). The team from Worchester left today and now it is feels so empty! The New York team leaves Saturday and the Orlando team will be here at least another week, possibly two. It is going to be very quite when they are all gone. As for the people who are in my class though, there are currently 5 of us and then a couple will be joining us in about a week. They are moving here with their family and will be joining the staff after they finish the DTS! Here now, in my class, are Monique, Jocelyn, Eunice, Stanley, and I. Stanley and Eunice are both from the surrounding communities. Stanley is an orphan. He is now 22 and a youth leader in the community. Eunice is a single mom. Her little girl, Sentila, is 5 months old and so precious! Most of our breaks revolve around playing with her. Jocelyn is from Maryland and is also taking her spring semester of sophomore year off from IUP! And Monique, is from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Overall, our team is getting along great. It is fun having two Africans with us. They explain the strange food that we are eating and are trying to teach us Siswati!

 

This first week has been nice and slow to get us eased into a routine here. We have had class everyday, but by class, I more or less mean discussions about our faith and how God is working here in Africa. A lot of it has been explaining the mission of 10, 000 Homes, getting to know each other, and learning what our role will be here! Right now, the Orlando team is running programs in the two villages we will be working in and we had a chance during the week to go and visit. We saw the feeding program where 160 children came and a playground that the New York team just built for the children.  It didn’t even take a minute of us arriving and all the children ran up to give us hugs.

 

Okay, now we’ll do a quick few highlights of life here so far:

 

1. Pride rock—it reminds me of “the point” that our team in St. Lucia found. It is basically a huge rock that has a beautiful outlook at mountains and one of the communities we are working in during the week. It is so peaceful and I have found it to be a perfect place for quiet time to pray and reflect.

 

2. Work-out videos. Lets be honest, did anyone really think I would lose my crazy desire to run a million miles while I was in Africa? I haven’t lost it but I realize it probably isn’t safe for me to go by myself for a long run. So instead, every night, Monique, Eunice, Jocelyn, and I have been doing a work-out video. It is essentially a really cheesy jazzercise video and I love it. Stanley laughs at us, but I know he secretly wants to join in.

 

3. Talking with the people from other teams. There are people here from Germany, Norway, Finland, Canada, Nigera, Kenya, England, and the Netherlands to name a few. Not to mention probably someone from almost all 50 states. AND, even one person from Lancaster, PA. (He went to Lancaster Mennonite so I am afraid, Lancaster Catholic friends that it was difficult to find any connections). But it has been really cool hearing so many different languages being spoken and talking with people about music and culture.

 

4. African singing and dancing. First off, on Sunday we had a community night where we all had singing and praising. The leader of the Worchester team led it and he is a South African so the songs were upbeat and had us all dancing on our feet. It was such a joyful way of singing and praising God who has given us all so much! We also had a special treat of Eunice’s dance team coming to show us authentic African dance. The girls dressed in custom and were enjoyable, but my favorite was the boys who did a stomp routine. It was part of our time to learn about the African culture.

 

5. This is maybe not a highlight, but a big part of what I have learned life is here—the water! There has been so much of it, yet so little at the same time. The first few days here, it down poured almost everyday. The power went out one day and whenever the power goes out, the water turns off. It is run by an electric pump so no power=no water! That means no shower, no drinking water, no sink to wash dishes, no toilet, and nothing can be done that needs water! The water has come on and off within the day, but it has been turned off all day today and they think it may be turned off for the next few days. I really hope it isn’t true!

 

6.  The flies here are horrific. They swarm us all during class and while we are preparing the food and while I am just sitting minding my own business the come in my ear and buzz! So, we have decided to fight back. Jocelyn killed 30 yesterday and tomorrow when we go into town—we are getting a fly swatter. If we don’t leave anything behind here, at least we will be helping decrease their annoying fly population. ; )

 

7. Reading. Can you believe it? I am reading books. I have almost finished a book in less than a week. I have just a few pages left in The Shack and it is great! (thanks Jordan for recommending it, even though it took me 5 months to actually get to reading it! )

 

8. Clean-up duty. We have a worker, who cooks and cleans for breakfast and lunch but our team is in charge of dinner preparation and clean up. It is my work detail to clean up the dishes and the tables every night. It is proving to be quite a bit of work with over 60 people here for dinner, but it is definitely teaching me to have a servant’s heart.

 

9. Tea time! Yes, South Africa use to be a British colony so tea time is huge here. Every day, at 10:00, we stop what we are doing for some tea. It also really helps for when I sleep through the 7:00 a.m breakfast and can instead have some pb & j on toast during tea time!

 

10. Classes. Even though our classes have not been too in depth yet, as it is just the first week, I can tell this is going to challenge me to grow and I am excited for it! Yesterday we talked about creativity. The staff here values creativity and is going to work it into our schooling a lot. At first mention of this, I thought, “What! Creativity? I love to color but anything past that and I am challenged.” But we talked about God as the perfect and best creator! Think, he made the stars and flowers and beach and the wind to cool us off (and the sun to warm all of you at home) and how beautiful all of that is for us! Now, if we are all made in the image of God, then aren’t we all creators in some sense? I decided that I am a creator of going into places that are messy and making them neat again. I love when my room is a mess and I can just sit down and make sense of things. As Jeremy pointed out, that means the mess is a necessity in order for me to practice my creativity. Like that one mom? Yea, I thought so! : )

 

Phew! Now I know this is a very scattered update, but it is the best I can do for a short time to write about a whole week! We do not yet have internet at the base like we thought that we would, but hopefully that will change in a while so I can give you all more updates. As for now though, it will only be the few times I can get to an internet café. Overall though, life here is going very well! I still miss you all at home, but I know I have my best friend here with me all the time, no matter where I go. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

take my life.

A little less than 48 hours until I leave! As I am trying to organize and pack all of my things for the next five months into two suit cases, I am so overwhelmed with emotions. One is complete awe for God and His planning. As I was scheduling classes junior year of high school, there is no way I could have told you I would be going to South Africa 3 years later. Yet, had God not opened the paths for me to take AP classes at that moment, this trip may not have occurred. And as upset as I was about not being accepted to Marquette University's physical therapy program, I believe it was yet again God just saying He had a different plan for me to discover at Pitt. Another emotion is excitement to see how the Lord will use these next 5 months! I look back at all I have learned since I started college and I can't believe it. I can't wait to see what these coming months will bring!

As I was packing, the song Take My Life started to play on my itunes. Amongst all the hustle and bustle of packing, I think I have sometimes become caught up on "going on a trip" and forget that I am going to serve. But when this song played, I was reminded of my mission and my prayer that I would give my all to Christ. 

"Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing
always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as You choose."

-- Take My Life by Chris Tomlin