Love from South Africa

Some days it’s so easy to get caught up in all the big events that you lose sight of the moments everyday that make up life. There are so many things that I get to be involved in on a daily and weekly basis from working with our students to high school ministries to youth ministry at my church. I have seen the Lord do so much through each of these ministries over the past year and I’m so grateful that he has allowed me to be a part of it. DTC It has been such a privilege to walk this year’s journey alongside our DTC students. Throughout the good times and bad, the struggles and the victories, the highs and the lows, the Lord has been faithful in working in each of their lives. Day in and day out, I get to do life with them whether it be hanging out in my room with the girls, making dinner together, or doing ministry.  Those nitty grittys of life are some of the moments I cherish most. They are the moments that give me a glimpse into their hearts and how the Lord is growing...

The last week of SMASH (students ministering and serving Him) in Cape Town was an amazing time. It was such an awesome privilege to be a part of this missions trip for the second time. While there, the Lord allowed me to revisit many of the same churches and communities that I visited last year which was such a huge blessing. Two of the teams ran a Holiday Bible Club (VBS) at two different local churches in addition to door to door evangelism in the surrounding community while my team traveled around to different locations working with different churches and communities doing work projects, evangelism and community outreaches.  The farm On our second day there, my team spent the day at a small farming community where we had the opportunity to help repair the one small church that occupied its premises. As I was on my way back from the hardware store where I was picking up more supplies, we met a man along the dirt road that led to the farm. He stopped us in our tracks and ...

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, the last month has been quite packed. At times, I felt as though I barely had time to breathe but the Lord was faithful to bring me through and consistently remind me of my total dependence on him. I have so much to be thankful for and stand in awe of all that the Lord has been doing and allowed me to be a part of. Holiday Bible Club All of my little guys. During the last week of June, I had the opportunity to help with a Holiday Bible Club (VBS) along with our DTC students at a local church. I got to be a part of this event last year so I had a good idea of what to expect but one thing I didn’t expect was to be leading a group of grade 1 boys. The Lord definitely grew me in the area of patience over that week. I had one little boy in particular that seemed to need a hearing aid because he didn’t listen to a word I said. I often found myself frustrated and had to keep him separate from the rest of the group to discuss the lesson as he ...

The last two weeks spent in Mozambique doing Rock For Life Camp were some of the most tiring but amazing weeks of camp I have ever done. I came home having completely lost my voice and with a nasty cold, however, my theory is that it only goes to show how awesome camp really was. During the first week, I got to counsel a group of five 9th graders. Though all of the kids at camp came from the same Christian school, many of them still had a lot of questions about about God and salvation. This opened the doors for so many great conversations both during devos and quiet time as a cabin as well as with individuals. For one girl in particular, Danai, was struggling with whether or not she was really saved and felt as though there was something missing in her life. As the week progressed and I had opportunities to spend time talking with her, she finally understood that her salvation wasn't dependent on herself but what Christ had done for her. She saw that her life felt empty becaus...

“Do you trust me when the answer is wait?” This question has circulated through my brain for weeks now & just when I think I have the answer, I am confronted with the fact that I don’t trust God as much as I would like to think. My doubt makes its way to the forefront…do I really trust God? Do I trust him when things don’t go as I planned; when the answer is wait? Lately I feel like all of my prayers are being answered the same way…wait. Waiting for my visa. Waiting for my police clearance. Waiting to get back to South Africa. Sometimes I feel like the waiting will never end…like all I’m doing is waiting. Discouragement set in big time. I feel completely helpless; like no matter how hard I try, there’s nothing I can do to change it…nothing to make the waiting shorter…nothing to fill the time in between. Day after day I wait hoping that God will give me the go ahead but each day I am brought to a crossroad. Will I trust him in the waiting or not? But maybe that was the wh...