south africa - 1 of many to come...

It’s taken me well over a week to even begin to sum up my recent experiences in Cape Town, South Africa. No picture, journal or video could ever come close to adequately describing how the Lord worked in my own heart and life that week. There were so many moments that will forever be etched in my mind. Two, in particular, stand out to me tonight as I reflect.

Each afternoon our team had the opportunity to work with the girls & boys clubs at several schools in the area that the missionaries are currently working with. One afternoon our 7 girls got to sit down and share testimonies with the 7 girls that attended that day. With each story we shared, they grew ever more intent on listening. After 45 minutes of talking, we had one last testimony to share. We’d told them earlier that afternoon that we had a gift for each of them. So, to break up the monotony we gave them the option of getting their gifts or hearing the last story. To our surprise, they all insisted in unison on hearing the story first. The hunger and thirst these girls had for discipleship was so overwhelmingly evident! They cared little about the material and yearned, instead, for this Love that we spoke of.
The next day at another school we had a similar experience. After sharing we placed an angel pin on the sweater of each girl and talked about God’s love for them. Kneeling down I looked into the eyes of my new friend and asked her, “So what are you going to remember every time you see this pin?” With tears in her eyes she replied, “Jesus loves me.” I turned to do the same to the young lady seated next to her. I asked her the same question. When she had no answer I turned back to the first girl. Again I asked her, “Will you tell her what you are going to remember every time you look at this pin?” And again, with a tear rolling down her cheek, she declared, “Jesus loves me.” I’m not so sure anyone had ever told her that before.



Since I’ve been back, several startling facts & statistics have been running through my mind daily. We were told that:
Every 26 seconds someone in South Africa is raped.
Every 28 minutes a child in South Africa is raped.
2,000 people a day contract HIV/AIDS
There is a commonly held myth that if you rape a young child or virgin you can rid yourself of AIDS.

Children in South Africa are forced to grow up faster than they should. The children we interacted with have faced far more than most of us ever will. They need to know there is hope beyond this world. They need to know there is Love beyond comprehension. The more I spent time with the people of South Africa, the more my heart yearned to share with them this Love that I’ve grown up so privileged to know about.

May we continue to PRAY expectantly for these children & the missionaries who are diligently sharing this message of hope and love with them.
May we GIVE generously & with glad hearts to support that work in South Africa & around the world.
May we GO without hesitation wherever He leads to fulfill the calling the Lord has placed on each of our lives.

More to come on the trip SOON!

another taste of africa...

quick update...which will probably be in short sentences & all over the place!!!

many of you know i have a heart for international missions. the Lord has been gracious to throw yet another opportunity into my lap...& not just the opportunity, but the provisions as well!

3 of my passions in life [faith & family understood]:
- music
- camp ministries
- taking the gospel to the unreached

this past summer i did camp for the 6th consecutive year - this time, though, with a new organization. i worked for lifeway with centrifuge camps in panama city beach, florida. i will return there again this summer as well - and i'm PUMPED!

why? because not only do i get to continue a ministry i love for the SEVENTH summer (which is absolutely mind-blowing when i actually stop to think about it), but i get to do so having taken an even more intimate part in the missions partnership. this summer starts a new 5-year partnership between FUGE camps & south africa. hence, our trip.

so tomorrow a group of almost 30 staff from camps across the US will meet in atlanta (some for the first time) and head out for SA! we will split into 3 teams and spread out across johannesburg, soweto, & cape town. each team will do something different, but our ultimate goals are the same - 1) to minister to the people (as well as the missionaries) of South Africa and 2) to learn more about life, the people, culture, needs, etc. this coming summer when camp starts up, those of us who have had the experience get to share that with our respective staffs & spread the word to our students as well. i'm so pumped to have such a first-hand experience directly tied in with what these kids are giving money to support each week!

please pray for us!
the cape town team (of which i am a part) will be worshiping with the people of SA on sunday and making further preparations that night.

then, monday-friday we will be working in 3 different schools tutoring, doing after school clubs, etc. - loving on the kids & sharing the Gospel of Truth & Love!

thank you SO MUCH for the continued support & prayer!
update soon after we get back!