Baie Dankie (Thank you very much :)

It’s hard to believe that December has arrived, and that in a few days I’ll be heading back to Nashville! For the past 5 months, “December” has meant…THE END. Not “the end” in a bad way, but the end of a beautiful chapter in my life. So of course, this has gotten me thinking and reflecting back on all that God has done in my life during this time.

Cape Town has dropped some wonderful and unexpected gifts into my lap. I could go on and on for hours, but I’ll try to narrow it down to a few that are at the front of my mind today (if you’d like the long version, let’s chat over a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha). Ok, here I go…

1. Summer has finally come to Cape Town---I thought it would never get here!! Praise God that we've gotten to see the beautiful Cape Town weather that everyone here has been talking about…even if it is right before we leave.

2. Zana and Natalie-- that God has allowed me to share this life-shaping time with 2 amazing friends…SO OVERWHELMING!! They have become so dear to me and God has used them to shape me more into His likeness.

3. Traveling--God gave me opportunities to travel around South Africa to see more of this BEAUTIFUL country! And we got to go see one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World---Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe!!

4. That my mom and aunt got to come to see and experience life as it has been for me in Cape Town!!

5. Simple things--Rooibos Tea, Cadbury Chocolate, Whole Wheat Rusks, Ms. Balls Chutney, and Sweet Chilli Sauce (these delightful treats are some uniquely South African staples that have become a part of my life…if you’d like some samples, I’ll be bringing plenty home).

6. I’ve been able to walk through the streets and into homes in the communities here---people have graciously and without question invited me into their lives.

7. Kids--I’ve been hugged on, tackled, kissed and loved by the most beautiful children that I’ll ever find in the world. Dirty, sticky, bare footed and full of life…they have taken a piece of my heart.

8. God has allowed me to speak truth into people’s lives, restore hope, and open their eyes to God’s love and purpose that He has for their life.

9. I've been able to build relationships with people who have an amazing and contagious passion for their community, and have heard stories and seen first hand how God is ALIVE and ACTIVELY working in Cape Town.

10. He gave me a “family” here---this consists of a random group of American missionaries and a couple of South Africans. It’s been so wonderful that God provided us with “family” away from home.

11. YOU—OH MY GOODNESS---YOU---Your faithful prayer and support have been AMAZING gifts to me over these past 5 months. God has blessed me so much to have a small army lifting me up in prayer, encouraging me along the way, and supporting me financially. I could not have come to SA or kept going without your faithfulness to me!!

That God loves me so much to give me this RICH AND FRUITFUL experience is completely humbling and overwhelming!! I have been changed...and I hope that in some way, you have too. It has been my hope that God would use this time to transform us all more into His likeness. We are all responsible for what we’ve seen, read, and experienced of South Africa and her people. Now we must decide how we will live in light of these things…

I know that this is only the beginning of the changes that God means to bring about in my life. The journey continues…

Please accept these scattered thoughts as my TOTALLY insufficient way of saying thanks to you for being a part of this exciting journey. God has used you in a POWERFUL way in my life, in the ministry of Living Hope Community Centre, and in Cape Town.

What a gift you are…

See you soon…

Laural

I can't believe it's December!!

Time flies, doesn't it?? I can't believe that 2 weeks from today I'll be getting back to Nashville... that blows my mind!!

Although it seems like 2 weeks is such a short time, there is a ton that will be going on between now and then. There is lots to do...people to see, places to go, goodbyes to be said, suitcases to pack...This morning, I'm feeling the weight of all that is to be done as I tie up this LIFE CHANGING chapter of my life!! I want to enjoy my couple of weeks here...soak everything in...spend quality time with people...and sleep too!! Please pray that God would allow me to finish my time in CT well...that I won't be running around like a basket case or a chicken with my head cut off (which I actually saw the other day now that I think of it...he was about to be someone's dinner :) As Nat always asks us to pray..."May I drink deeply of every moment that God gives me here." I want to serve well, love well, and be ALL here until the minute that I leave.

Also, pray that God would keep my mind focused on the here and now and not on what's to come in the future. I have lots of questions...but I know I don't need those answers right now. Doesn't the Word say something like, don't worry about tomorrow cause today has enough to worry about??

A little food for thought...do they sing the Christmas song "Let it Snow" in SA?? I mean, it doesn't snow here...what do you think?

Happy November 30...

People are my FAVORITE!! I love meeting new people- hearing their stories, laughing with them, encountering their culture, sharing in their journey, and praying for them. God has been so good to allow me to cross paths with a lot of people that have shown me more of WHO HE IS. He’s done this in a big way through the children of CT. They have quickly wiggled their barefeet into my heart…and one precious little girl in particular…

I’ve mentioned 4 year old Robin before and I want to update you on what God has been doing in her family. I haven’t been able to visit her or see her as much as I would have liked, but I hope to remedy that in the last couple of weeks that I have here in CT.

Robin lives in a township called Capricorn with her mother Rosalyn and her baby brother JC. There have been some recent changes her family situation, which have brought a little more safety in the home, but also more hardship because Rosalyn has been left with no financial resources to buy the necessities that her family needs (food, etc). I was chatting with a LH Life Skill Educator about their situation, when he told me that Rosalyn had just recently prayed to receive Christ!!! Isn’t that amazing!! And he has committed himself to helping the family grow in the Lord.

When I heard this wonderful news, I e-mailed my aunt in Murfreesburo, TN to let her know because she and her Sunday school class have been praying for this family each week. She replied to tell me that they had been diligently praying that someone in the house would become a believer!!! WOW! “The prayer of a righteous man is POWERFUL and EFFECTIVE.” James 5:16

This week I got to go back to visit Robin and Rosalyn. They had only met me one other time but remembered my name and hugged me like we were long lost friends. This definitely made my day! I had the opportunity to hold sweet Robin in my arms and pray for them in their home. As I was leaving, I asked Rosalyn how I could specifically pray for her, and her answer ROCKED MY WORLD…”Pray that I would grow spiritually…I don’t ask for material things, because I know I can’t take them HOME with me.” Ok, this simple prayer comes from a new believer (maybe 3 weeks), she has no income, barely any food for her family, lives in a crime and drug filled community, and lives in a 2 room shanty with a dirt floor and one bed. I hope her words echo in my mind (AND YOUR MIND) forever.

After I visited that day, I made up my mind to visit once a week before I leave. And also that I’d try to get Robin to come to the daily kid’s club that Living Hope runs in her community. This would be a positive place and support system to connect the family with…but once again, God was way ahead of me…

Yesterday afternoon Zana,, Natalie and I went out to Capricorn kids club and as I walked up I heard someone yell my name. It was Rosalyn…there she was with Robin, JC, and her oldest daughter Geraldine! Robin latched on to me quickly and we had the best time playing and being silly. So, God had already been working to connect them with Living Hope, YAY!!!!!!

May God use the kid’s club program to bring Christ’s HOPE and LIGHT into the life of this precious family.

What a blessing that God has been so good to let me be able to meet Rosalyn and Robin during my time here in South Africa. How great to get be a part of their lives, to share their story with you, and for us all to pray and watch God work. PRAY HARD FOR THEM…HE IS ANSWERING!!

Back from Zim...

If you ever have the chance to go on a trip to Zimbabwe, you definitely need to do it...I may not be full of much good advice, but trust me...this is the truth!!

Monday night I returned from a long-weekend trip to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. There were 8 of us...Zana, Natalie, Bethany and Drew (a couple from Greenfield, TN- friends of Nat's), Mike (our friend from Zim who made all of the trip arrangements...and our tour guide), Carl (a friend of Mike's), and Kate (a friend of ours from Chicago, met her in CT, she is now in Malawi). Anyway, this was our small army!

We arrived on Thursday afternoon to find our accomodation to have one of the most amazing views you could ever find...the Zambezi River!! That afternoon we looked out to find about 5 hippos in the river, and elephant on the other side of the riverbank, and a crocodile. And this was only the beginning of our raw encounters with African wildlife. There are warthogs, baboons, monkeys and mongoose all over the place- in our trash kind of like racoons or possums. One of the monkeys found his way into our cabin and the powdered milk. He definitely had a milk mustache!

Watching the sunrise and sunset in Zim was amazing...probably a highlight of the trip for me. A couple of mornings I woke up early to go watch the sunrise over the Zambezi...kind of surreal!! (It's funny because when I watch an African sunrise or sunset, I get really excited about watching these things in Tennessee!! So if you know of the best spots in Nash to watch the sunrise or set...let me know :)

It would take me about an hour to tell you all about our weekend, so I'll just hit the highlights!! The first morning, we rafted down the Zambezi River- and let me just tell you, the Zambezi and the Ocoee...NOT THE SAME!! I'll have to admit that I was a tiny bit nervous about this because Mike and Carl were trying to freak us out about crocodiles and anything else they could think of. I just decided that as long as I could just stay inside the raft, I'd be fine :) So, we hiked down into this huge gorge to where the river was...this was a completely straight down hike...praise God that I'm not afraid of heights. I would have passed out and rolled down into the river, and that have been it for me.

Anyway, we got on the river with our guide Kossam. Kossam was one big muscle...probably no body fat at all cause all he does is raft down one of the most powerful rivers in the world. He made the trip so much fun, and he really knew what he was doing. He yelled out instructions to us like "Forward," "Back Right," and my personal favorite, "GET DOWN!!!" Translation- get down and hold on for dear life!! One time I didn't hear him yell it and I was paddling my little heart out then looked around to find that I was the only one still up...needless to say, I moved pretty quickly to get myself down!!

Remember how I said that as long as I could just stay in the boat I'd feel fine?? Well, famous last words...on rapid #8 (out of 23) our boat flipped over and we all found ourselves swimming in the middle of class 4 rapid!! Crazy right??
Again I should remind you that this is not the Ocoee! It was a little scary for a moment...I came up several times to grab a breath only to have another wave knock me in the face again. I'm pretty sure that I swallowed a good bit of Zambezi!!

So the raft ride was quite an adventure, I loved it!! The most interesting part of the day though occured after we got off the river...remember how we had to hike down into the gorge?? Well, that means that you have to hike OUT, right?? After we had been in the sun on the river we had to hike out a half mile STRAIGHT UP...do you hear me?? STRAIGHT UP!! So here I am with a wet life jacket, a helmet and a paddle climbing straight up!! As they say in South Africa, it was a HECTIC climb!!!

The next day we went to see Victoria Falls which is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The falls are about 1 mile wide and 130 meters deep. It stretches between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The power of the water is so great that the spray from the falls can be seen from miles away...it looks like smoke over the trees. They call it the Thundering Smoke. When you get to certain parts of the falls the spray from it is so great that you get drenched!! It was like standing in the middle of a rainstorm!!

My thoughts as I looked at Vic Falls...it's probably the most powerful force of nature that I've ever seen! And with all it's power, it is nothing in comparison to the power of God!! That's hard for me to wrap my mind around. And for all the beauty that I saw in Zim and have seen in SA- the natural beauty of the ocean, the mountains, the sunset- God is infinitely more beautiful!! And the vastness of the ocean and the African sky...God is bigger!! And all of this points to how pea sized our human brains are because we can't even comprehend how BIG, BEAUTIFUL, and POWERFUL that He is!! And all of this beauty that I've seen here shows not only how much God loves us and delights to show us good and beautiful things, but the natural world points to Him and declares His glory...He doesn't NEED humans to show the world His glory and worth, because nature does this without words, singing, and all the other stuff we do (ok, not saying that we aren't responsible to declare His glory and worth, just that He'll get His glory despite what humans do, make sense?)

Here in Africa, my eyes have been opened to so much of God's beauty through nature. I'm sure I'll miss all the beauty at my doorstep here, but I am so excited to come back to Tennessee and see how God manifests Himself through nature there!! God is just as present through nature in Nashville as He is in Africa. I'm not sure why I have not been too aware of this until now, but I can't wait to get home and see things with new eyes!!

The people of Zim were absolutely beautiful--on the inside and out! All that we encountered were cheerful and welcoming with the biggest smiles you've ever seen. They seemed genuinely excited to have us in their country, and are resiliant people- they face daily challenges with grace and joy.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, things are very hard for the people of Zimbabwe. There are often shortages of food, power, and about everything else. Gas cannot be purchased in the country, so people must make a plan to get it from somewhere else. Inflation is so high that 1 US dollar is equivalent to 1 million Zim dollars, and the value of the Zim dollar is decreasing rapidly. Banks are not good places to keep money or withdraw because they will give a different exchange rates than the "black market"- so people often have to come up with an alternative way to get cash. Bread and milk are almost impossible to find in the country (we brought in most of our food). We ate a 2 resteraunts and each time the waiter told us that out of all the selections on the menu, there were only 2-3 options that we could order (because of short food supply). We ordered 7 bottles of water at one resteraunt and he came back with only 4 (that's all they had), so we split 4 bottles between 7 people.

These are just a few small things to give you a little insight into what's going on in Zimbabwe. I learned so much more about this whole situation- what's created the problems, etc- over this weekend. Pray for the country of Zim- that God would strengthen the believers, bring people to a saving knowledge of Him, and bring restoration to all that has been destroyed.

I could go on and on and show a million pics, but that will just have to wait!!

As for the rest of the week...well it's Thanksgiving tomorrow!! I'll be spending it with my American family here in SA--can't wait for the turkey and dressing!! I'm so thankful that although I can't spend this day with my Barkley family- God has gifted me with a "family" here in CT- and I'm so thankful for that provision.

So, if you are still reading...please know that I am infinitely thankful for you and your willingness to share in this journey with me!! (And if you are not reading, I'm thankful for you too :) God has filled my life with so many good gifts- but people and relationships have always been my favorite :) I could never really express my gratitude to God for having the grace to fill my life with so many DEEP and TRUE friendships and with such a LOVING and SUPPORTIVE family!! Ok, I'm getting a little sappy now and I'm about to cry into the keyboard- so I'll stop :) Just know that as you are eating your turkey and dressing...Laural in South Africa is thanking God for you!!

P.S. Please watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for me :)

November 9

Sorry for no picture today, I've been sitting here for over 30 minutes and the uploading just isn't happening today :)

This week I’ve gone out to Capricorn to visit my friend Naaz at Rainbow Educare—her preschool (she’s the principal). I went out Monday to take some pictures of the newly painted building for them, and let me just tell you about the unique experience I had that day. I met their handyman, Mango, and he decided that he wanted to put on a little show for me…So, how often do you get to watch an African man dancing to Michael Jackson?? I mean, it was pretty impressive, and kind of made me think of the scene in Napolean Dynamite where he danced in front of the whole school. It was one of those classic moments that I’ll probably remember forever, and don’t worry I have it all on video. Then after that he sang “Honky Tonk Angel,” (not sure who sings it, but he definitely sounded like Elvis… )

Anyway, I’ve gone off on a tangent…I went back on Friday to deliver the pictures that I had taken. They were sooo excited to see the pics (if you haven’t read the other blogs…a group of volunteers recently painted the inside and outside of the building—so Naaz had asked me to take the before and after shots). Seeing these pictures will help them to remember how far God has brought their little crèche!!

Today, Naaz told me stories of all of the ways that God has provided for the needs of Rainbow. Just this morning, someone had walked in off the street just to take a look at the facilities and asked, “What do you need?” “A ceiling, for one of the classrooms,” was the answer. And just like that…God provided!! The lady is going to fund the much needed new ceiling. Another time, a donor gave in support tiling for one of the classroom floors. Just to hear Naaz speak of God’s faithful provision and her trust in Him to provide for the needs of this preschool was amazing to me. Do I live my life with such confidence in God, then overflow with joy and gratitude for His provision??

No doubt, she has her share of challenges. After the ceiling and tile stories, she told me that yesterday a sewage pipe had overflowed in the crèche and you know how nasty that can be…I believe she described it as a “poo factory.” ☺

I looked for little Robin (a 4 year old student at the crèche who has become special to me ☺), she was not there today and had not been all week. Naaz has talked with her father today, and all we can do is pray that all the kinks that have kept her from school this week will be worked out and that someone in her family will make sure that she gets to there each day. Thank the Lord that since Robin has started attending Rainbow Educare, she has someone like Naaz looking out for her. Now Robin has an advocate in Naaz and her teacher at Rainbow.

In the last blog I mentioned that Living Hope was having a “Get Tested” day at the local mall. We set up a booth with lots of HIV/AIDS educational info, brochures, etc. And there was HIV testing—12 minutes to know your status. Many people don’t even want to know their status because they don’t want to change their behaviors or admit that they may be living a risky lifestyle. So to even get tested is a big step…

A great story happened that day…On the way back from lunch, Natalie ran into one of the groundskeepers at our flat—Martin. He had seen us at the mall and asked her what we were doing. Natalie explained and asked him if he’d been tested. Martin said no, and that he was afraid!! Nat tried to convince him that no matter what the outcome, it was a good idea to find out his status. He asked if she’d be at the booth that afternoon, she assured him that she would, so he said he’d come at 2:00. After 2:00, he came by…but still said “I’m afraid!!” He had to go do some shopping, then would come back, he said, all we could do was hope. Anyway, hours later he finally came back and had the courage to do it!! He just walked right up and got in line (or the queue, as they say in SA). I guess he just needed some time to convince himself. How amazing…this really shows that Living Hope is doing wonderful community work. People who would never in a million years find out their HIV status are doing it!! This is a huge step to fight the ignorance that keeps the disease from taking lives.

It was fun to be able to support and encourage Martin that day in his very courageous choice to get tested!! Zana, Nat and I were kind of like his cheerleaders…we jumped up and down when we saw him come to the table then got so excited when he came out—knowing his status!! He kept saying thank you to us…and when we saw him a couple of days later he thanked us again “for all the we did for him that day.” He later admitted to walking by the booth 4 or 5 times before he actually stopped by. This is a disease that thrives in an environment of ignorance, denial, secrecy, and stigma…and it’s exciting to be a part of a ministry that is pro actively seeking to erase all of these things---not just in the name of good health but in the name of Jesus.

Next week, me and my wives and a few other friends will be heading up to Zimbabwe to Victoria Falls (one of the 7 natural wonders of the world). I am SOOOOO excited!! Please pray for our trip- our safety, that all the details will come together perfectly, and that we’d have a fun time!! Pretty sure that we are going to raft down the Zambezi River---yikes!! If you don’t know about what is going on in Zimbabwe, I’d encourage you to research the current situation in that country. It’s a very sad and desperate situation that we hear about all the time here- I’m not sure if it is in the news in the US at all, but you need to be aware…so find out, then PRAY!!

THIS IS A "MUST READ"!!!!!!!!!

This week God did some amazing work…Oh my goodness, so amazing…keep reading (it’s long…)!!

Today is Wednesday and my routine has been to go with a group of Life Skills Educators to school. I knew exactly what time to meet them and everything, and when I got to Living Hope I found that they had already left!! “Not surprising” was my first thought…things like this tend to happen to me?☺

I stayed around for the morning devotion and talked to some staff members and Living Hope regulars. As I was chatting to the cook named Cathy (who loves my Southern accent) a man came up and gave me a small folded up piece of paper. I must confess that my first thought was not a nice one, I’ll admit it… (sometimes the men at the center can be a little…well you know). I continued chatting to Cathy and didn’t hurry to read the note, but when I did these are the words that I read… “Please pray for me. My name is Charles. I will kill myself today.” Needless to say my conversation ended at that point, I went to get the other social worker to come with me, and we went outside to look for Charles (hoping that he had not gone far, cause I wasn’t sure that I’d even recognize him.)

He was actually standing right outside the center (thank you Lord!), so we began to talk. He said that he wanted to make peace with God before he meets Him, because he will die today. He had been thinking for a couple of weeks that he wanted to end his life and said that he planned to jump in front of a train or bus because “there’s plenty of them around.” In a nutshell, he was tired of living on the streets and trying to make things happen for himself and nothing ever going right. Basically he was tired of trying, without hope, and ready to end it all.

I got him to come inside with me and Sannah (the social worker). We did a lot of talking, praying, and he did a lot of crying (for once in my life, I held back the tears ☺). Sannah asked him if he had ever accepted Christ in his life, he said no, and then prayed to receive Christ right there!! He was weeping all the time…completely broken and desperate.

I shared with him some Scripture that popped into my head, and it was a blessing to speak some truth into Charles’ life, yet hard at the same time. What do you say to someone who is in the circumstances that he is in?? I shared a few verses with him like “Never will I leave you or forsake you.” And Isaiah 43:1b-2…"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

He continued to talk pretty openly with us and told us a story that had happened last night. He was standing at the train station and was about to throw himself on the tracks when someone grabbed him hard on the shoulder and threw him backwards, away from the tracks. He turned around to see who had done this and NO ONE WAS STANDING THERE. When I asked what he thought when this happened he said that he thought it was a witch doctor or something and it scared him. He said several times how sore his shoulder was this morning, from the hard push he’d received. Then he pulled back his shirt to show us the mark that had been left on his shoulder. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw a large red and purple bruise covering his left shoulder.

Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that I am prone to be a little skeptical of such things, but I know that what he experienced was God’s angels saving him from ending his own life!!!! We both said this to him…that God intervened because he loves him and has a plan for his life. This was not witch doctor or strange coincidence, but God’s hand in his life!!

He began to tell us that all he wants is to see his children, who live about 3 hours from Cape Town. His home is there, and if he could get there he knows he could find work (he’s a boilermaker by trade), and that he has friends that he can stay with. He wept and wept for his children…he can’t even get in touch with them now because someone had stolen his bag that had their phone number in it.

We began to talk options and action… All Charles needed was about 20 rand for his train ticket and 2 taxis that it would take for him to get to his destination. To put this in US dollar terms…he needed about $3!!!!! $3 was keeping him homeless and one the streets!!! Needless to say, God provided this money and a little more for Charles to make it to where he needed to go. I began to see a little hope in his eyes…

All he had to his name was a small Bible, but before he left he had been given a couple shirts, a pair of pants, a bag for his things, and a couple of bucks for food for his journey. I wrote these words in the front cover of his Bible, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE.” Then I turned to Jeremiah. 29:11, underlined it and put today’s date (10/10/07). Pray that in times of frustration and despair that Charles will read these words and remember that God has a plan for him and that IN HIM THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE.

It was beautiful to see the hearts of the staff members of Living Hope as they prayed for him and encouraged him before he left. Sannah and I walked with Charles to the train station to buy his ticket. On the way he said that he was beginning to feel excited, he knew that seeing his children would be the motivation he needed to keep going.

Before he left I asked him if I could give him a hug…he said yes…then of course being true to who I am, I just couldn’t resist giving him a tiny little sermon ☺ …Keep walking no matter what…remember God is always with you and sees you…always remember God’s faithfulness to you last night and today… what He has done today, He can and will do again. He is always faithful, even when it doesn’t seem like it… I’m sure that I was talking a mile a minute, and he probably wanted me to shut up, but I just had to say it!!

So, then he left and who knows what has happened and where he is today (Friday). My prayer is that he made it to his destination and that he will soon be reunited with his children. I do know though that there are probably a lot of other issues that he will have to face in going home, I’m not sure of what he left behind there. I pray that God will make a clear and easy path for him to his children, that they will be reunited after the 3 years that he hasn’t seen them. I pray that God would continue to deal with him, that his salvation was genuine, and that he’ll begin to walk with God becoming rooted in His Word. I pray that God would bring Godly men and women into his life that will encourage him in his walk and to stand firm in his faith. Please join me in praying for Charles, and that he would be “caught” by God’s relentless love and mercy.

I know that I’ll never see Charles or hear from him again, but there is no doubt that he will be in my heart forever. What a lesson to me of God’s love and care for all people. He always attentive and is always watching. I am in awe of his love for such broken and “stiff necked” people (I couldn’t think of another word, so I’ll just quote what God repeatedly call the Isrealites when they turned from him ☺). That God would be mindful of us and allow us to be instruments of his love and redemption is pretty mind boggling to me today.

Ok, so I know this one is amazingly long, but aren’t you glad you read it all?? You get gold stars and A+++++++!!!!

___________________________________________________________

I posted this blog on October 12, and today is November 6...HERE IS AN EXCITING UPDATE!!

Sannah said that Charles has returned to Muizenburg!! She says that when he came up to her she didn't even recognize him because of the HUGE smile on his face! We definitely didn't see that smile on the day that we last saw him.

He was able to return home safely and see his children. Unfortunately though, he could not find work in that other town, so he's come back to Muizenburg to work. I was so excited to hear that he was able to see his children!! What an answer to our prayers, right?!? Now he is living on the streets and looking for a job (which does NOT come easily here)...so pray that Charles can find work and be able to save up for a place to stay. Also, continue to pray for His walk with the Lord...
Praise the Lord that He hears and answers prayer!!!

Friday's are my favorite!!

Pic 1- These are some of the wonderful Life Skills Educators that I've mentioned before. We had them over for pizza one night, then played with the self timer on my camera.

Pic 2- Happy Halloween!!

Can I just say that I can’t believe that it is November!!! What in the world?!? Time is flying by!!

I’ve kind of been holding out on you by not really talking much about one of the main things that I’ve been working on for Living Hope. 2 months ago the General Manager asked me to do some community research regarding orphans and vulnerable children. Living Hope is considering what their position will be in working with these children (future programming), so they wanted a little information to help them make a decision. So they asked for my help in this. Yikes!!! Kind of a scary task for me I must admit…

It has been a challenge because I don’t love research, gathering and interpreting information and talking to people on the phone that can’t understand me (and I can’t understand them either). But I know that God gave me what I needed to finish well and to actually be thankful that the project was assigned to me. I’ve gotten to learn about some other programs in Cape Town, and even visit a couple and see what they do. I have loved meeting and talking with people who have a heart to help others, and seeing the creative ways that communities are helping children and families. I guess being a social worker and kind of a fan of the “non-profit world,” this was a little bit fun for me ☺

This week, my major task has been to finish this up…and I do mean MAJOR TASK!! Working on this took me back to college and grad school days of writing papers…YUCK!! I loved learning and gathering the info, but putting it together in a way that would make sense to someone else has been a different story ☺

Looking back, now I can say how thankful I am for this assignment because I learned so much. Yesterday afternoon, I finished and e-mailed it off!! Out of my hands…AHHH THE FREEDOM!! I hope I get an A++++++. (I celebrated by having some good ole apple pie…made me feel like I was back in the south!)

The rest of my week has gone something like this…

Tuesday morning I led the devotional at the Living Hope Muizenburg Ctr. I talked about the parable of lost sheep. I pray that these men and women will understand how much our God pursues them and seeks them out- just like the shepherd in this story went looking for the ONE little sheep that was lost.

After devotion, I led the weekly support group with street people. The activity was painting with watercolors (take you back to when you were young??) It’s called paint journaling (thanks Julie!!). People always LOVE this activity!! No matter how old you are, there is just something wonderful about creating your own masterpiece ☺ It’s tons of fun for me to watch people do this…for some it’s VERY UNCOMFORTABLE, but for others it’s easy. My favorite is to watch someone who at the beginning is so unsure of themselves and uncomfortable with what they are doing, but as they keep going they really get into it and in the end feel a great sense of pride in what they created!! It’s kind of an opportunity to boost someone’s self worth and affirm their feelings and value. This is pretty much as good as it gets to me ☺

Let’s talk a little bit about the holiday situation here in South Africa…

This week was Halloween (you obviously know this). I’m not typically a big Halloween fan…just have never liked dressing up…don’t know why. But I guess when you are living in another country; anything that reminds you of home becomes kind of special. So, this I how we celebrated, we bought cheap masks (Mom says they looked more like Mardi Gras masks than Halloween masks---I’ll agree with that!!) and wore them to Living Hope. Not so much a popular thing to do since some consider this “Satan’s Holiday.” Oops, I like the words that another American volunteer used to describe Halloween…it’s all about kids and candy. And just so you know…we actually had trick or treaters…I guess they must have known that the American girls would give them candy ☺

Since it’s now November…my head is beginning to think of Thanksgiving (sadly, this American holiday is just that…an American holiday…so there aren’t any cute turkey, pilgrim or Indian decorations here). I’m thankful for a good “American” family here in SA, so we’ll have our own Thanksgiving celebration—Praise the Lord!! I can’t go without my turkey, dressing, and green bean casserole!!

So, since there is no Thanksgiving to celebrate…they’ve moved straight into Christmas!! Yes, that’s right…at the beginning of this week, the Christmas trees and decorations went up. I must admit that it feels a little funny walking around in flip-flops and a t-shirt looking at stockings and snowmen. So, I’m in the Christmas spirit a little bit early this year…me and my wives have definitely started listening to Christmas music!!

Well, I need to run over to the mall and the Christmas trees. It’s a “Get Tested” day for Living Hope at the mall. We set up a booth in the mall with HIV info and they do free testing. It only takes 12 minutes to find out your status. This is a great opportunity to educate people on how to stay negative and how to live a healthy lifestyle if they are positive. HIV is surrounded by stigma, denial, and secrecy- so for someone to get tested is a huge step in breaking the stigma. People are not very willing to go to a medical center to get tested, so we are bringing the testing to the people!!

Have a holly, jolly Christmas…

An unexpected visitor...

Pic...These are 2 patients from the Health Care Center... Marius, with the fish face, he just went home on Thursday after being inpatient since August. Then the other cutie is Munyaradzi, he's from Zimbabwe, pray that he will be able to leave the Health Care Center soon. They are both believers, but please pray for continued physical and spiritual healing for both. May they have a deep hunger for God and a strong desire to learn more of Him through His Word.

Last week Living Hope Community Ctr. had a visitor, and not just any visitor... On the day of his Cape Town concert, Micheal W. Smith (and his entourage) stopped by the Health Care Center for a short visit. I'm not sure how he came to know of Living Hope or any of those particulars, but he had his own personal tour of the place by John Thomas (the founder).
So, I am one of those Nashville dwellers that still gets excited when I see someone famous...yes, I'm one of those pitiful people. Ok, so don't laugh...I am who I am :)

Micheal W. Smith (or Smitty :) isn't really one of those people that would get me really excited...but I do have to admit that to see him here in Africa was pretty cool (Ok...let me just admit that I did grow up on his music and definitely screamed my lungs out when I went to see him at Murphy Center in 8th grade). It was especially exciting just to see people who are from Nashville...they were like a little piece of home to me (even though I don't know any of them and won't ever see them again in my life :). But anyway...it was exciting...

When he got there, all the staff members gathered in the reception area of the Health Care Center and just kind of watched him. He was very kind and humble. John Thomas introduced us and the girls from Nashville, and Smitty said, "Nashville, Tennessee???" I said, "Yeah, we're neighbors..."

Anyway, he went through and met some of the patients and staff members, then they asked him to sing. So, there in the reception area he pulled out his guitar and led us all in "Draw Me Close To You." Then one of the patients led a group in a song in Xhosa...as it always is when they sing, it was beautiful and lively!! (The words of the song they sang are "Be bright in the corner where you are..." Then you repeat it over and over!! I love the simple truth and exhortation in that song...yes I just used the work exhortation :) So after about 30 minutes and some pictures, Smitty left and went to visit one of the LHCC kids' clubs.

And so here are my thoughts...he is just a man...not really too different than anyone else. The patients that met him in the Health Care Ctr. don't know who he is and honestly don't care, so he's no more special than anyone else. However, God has given him a great and well respected platform in the "Christian world." I think we would all agree that he is pretty influential in that arena. So to me, it's exciting for him to have seen Living Hope, to have met the people whose lives are being positively effected through God's ministry. He can bring attention to what's happening here, the issues that are taking place, and the hope that God is bringing through Living Hope...that is exciting to me! I'm sure that he has a lot of ministries trying to get his attention, but I hope that his heart has been captured by one situated in the valley in Cape Town, and that his head rings with the voices singing, "Be bright in the corner where you are..." Maybe that's a positive thing about "celebrity," it gives opportunity to be a voice for things that matter, and others listen to celebrity's so much, which is a little ridiculous to me...but I gues there can be positives to it. I pray that Micheal W. Smith will use his "voice" to spread the word about what God is doing at Living Hope!!

Then, he gave the all the staff members free tickets to his show that night. Fortunately we had already gotten tickets due to my sweet roommie Zana's Nashville connections. We had great seats, and took about 10 friends with us. It was a great show...completely worshipful!! My only problem with the show was that he did not sing his early 90s hit "Place in this World." I mean, I'm not really sure what he was thinking, but that was pretty much the only reason I went to the show (I hope you are picking up on the sarcasm that I'm throwing at you :) But, he did redeem himself when he came out for his encore wearing a South Africa Springbok jersey (I'm sure you have no idea what I'm talking about, I'll explain...rugby is a religion here, and last Saturday night the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup...I mean this is MAJOR...All of SA stops for rugby...I even got excited about it!!) Anyway, picture this...Smitty in a Springbok jersey (yellow and green) singing "Friends are Friends Forever..." It brought a tear to my eye (the sarcasm again..) and took me back to middle school (or maybe high school...one of those...)

So that's the story of the unexpected visitor (Becca, I've now had my celebrity sighting :)

Pic...Me, Smitty, Zana, and Natalie...Nashvillians in South Africa!!

Rainbow...

(I wrote this last week…read it all, then see below for who the pics are ☺)

This has been a painfully long week…I’m not exactly sure why (well, actually I think I might be). It’s been an emotionally and physically draining week---not to mention insanely windy. Which I’m now realizing that I need to get used to…part of the Cape Town life I’m told. What is really funny to me is that if I comment on how windy it is (and I mean almost sweep you off your feet windy), then someone says…”It will get so much more windy than this.” It’s hard for me to imagine this. If you’re having a hard time visualizing this, just imagine yourself in a wind tunnel trying to walk…now you have a glimpse ☺So, if you see me in Nashville earlier than mid December, you’ll just know that I was blown home by the wind…

So, this morning I was kind of in need of a highlight for my week, or even my day…after I was told that my face is looking fat today, I was really in need of a highlight!! And, don’t they always say that God is right on time…

Well, I have been asked to do some community research for Living Hope, just to kind of explore the needs of children in their service area and the gaps in services that exist. It has been an interesting task and I’ve learned a lot. It’s been cool to learn about other organizations who are doing community work. Today I went to meet with the principal of a crèche (preschool) in an area called Capricorn…Wait, I’m going to have to back up…hold on...

I have spent a good bit of time in Capricorn and have gotten to work a lot with the LHCC Life Skills educators who work with a lot of kids in the area. One of the educators recently told me about a specific need. There is family with about 4 children who are living in very tough circumstances. The children are not supervised or cared for very well, and there is a lot of activity in and around their shanty home (things like drugs, fighting, abuse, prostitution, and who knows what else). He told me about one of the youngest children (there are 4 kids in the house all under the age of 6); he was looking for There are 4 children in the house under the age of 6, and he was looking for someone to sponsor one the 4 year little girl to go to crèche. She’s really smart, he said, and can count to 20 without missing a beat! He said when he heard her counting he just knew that he had to find a way to get her into school.

I knew immediately that this was an opportunity that God had placed in front of me to impact someone’s life. Several weeks after our conversation my aunt Jane brought some money that had been taken up by her Sunday School class. I think God perfectly planned for this opportunity for a group of believers in Murfreesburo, TN to be used by God in the life of a child thousands of miles away.

To put this into perspective for you…the registration fee for creche (that her family could not afford) is 20 rand, or less than $3. The weekly fee is 40 rand, or a little less than $6…

Robin my precious new 4 year old friend’s name, and last week I went to meet her and get her registered her for crèche. I have to tell you that I pretty much fell in love with her the moment I met her. She has such a bright and outgoing personality. And probably the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!!! I think I’m in love…

She was to start school the very next day…I went to visit her that day and heard that her mom had walked her to school! (Mom’s name is Rosalyn) Pray that mom continues to take that time each morning to walk with Robin to crèche.

So, that’s the background…my heart has been stolen by a 4 year old girl!!

Now back to the story…are you following me??

Today, I went back to Rainbow Educare (Robin’s crèche) to talk with the principal Faranaaz about my community research. Unfortunately it was naptime, so I didn’t get to see Robin. But I was so blessed by my time with Faranaaz. As I’ve noticed in so many people, her passion and love for her community just pours out of her. As she talked of the community’s needs and the children, her eyes filled with tears!

This is her story…in 1998 when she was working for a local community center, she saw a problem that she could not ignore. There were numbers of pre school aged children that were being left home alone with no supervision while their parents went to work. Instead of looking the other way or pointing her finger, she decided to take action. She had already been taking care of a lot of the kids in the community, so she decided to take it a step further and provide a safe environment for children to play and learn. So…she opened a crèche!

The crèche opened on April 1, 1998 in her mother’s home. On the first day she had 15 children!! And so it began…

Today, Rainbow Educare has 80 children on roll and 6 teachers. Her vision is to treat all children equally and to provide a holistic program that not only focuses on a child’s education, but also on their development as a productive South African citizen. Last year they had a waiting list of over 100 children.

Pray for Faranaaz as she looks to the future of Rainbow Educare. Pray for the children, teachers, staff members, and volunteers who are involved with the crèche. May it be a place filled with joy, laughter, and love and also a place where the children encounter the Jesus who loves all the little children of the world (Red and yellow, black, and white they are precious in His sight…☺)

Faranaaz was running around like crazy when I arrived because she had just found out that Rainbow had been chosen for a group of 10 volunteers to come and do a project for her…TOMORROW! She could have rescheduled our meeting, but I’m so glad that she didn’t cause I was so blessed by her heart, passion, and spunk!!

The project that the group will complete is to paint the whole crèche, inside and out!! As I was walking out she asked me to take some pictures of the outside and then come back next week and take the “after” shots. She asked me my thoughts on what color to paint the outside…that’s kind of scary, I think she’s going with purple!! As I left she said to come back anytime…”You’re part of the family now; part of the furniture!!” How fun is that!!

And by the way, I asked her how Robin has been doing! She’s doing great!! She is interacting well with all the other kids and teacher, behaving wonderfully, coming to school everyday, dressed neatly, and smiling all the time!! Praise God that He has provided an opportunity for her to learn and be in such a safe and loving environment. It’s so exciting to be a part of what God is doing in this little child’s life.

So this…in a very large nutshell is how God gave my a highlight for my day!!!

Pic 1- Faranaaz and me

Pic 2- Sweet little Robin and me (I mean really, I’ve seen a lot of cute kids in SA, but she is absolutely, hands down the cutest ever!!)

As they say in South Africa...

Cheers!!!

This is kind of a greeting that I've most often heard at the end of conversations, when you're saying goodbye or something like that...(I just thought I'd give you a little South African cultural lesson!!)

Just to give you a little insight into my life, this pic is of us at our dinner time!! Me and my wives (as we have come to refer to each other...that's right :) You'll usually find us here at about 6:30 most nights and if you look closely you'll see my laptop...I mean our tv!! We have become obsessed with watching "The Office," and have just finished watching all 3 seasons...yes all three!! I have my sweet sister to thank for introducing me to Micheal, Dwight, Jim, and Pam...I had to spread the "Office" love, so I've now conformed my wives to the club!!

We probably finished all 3 seasons in record time because once we watch one episode, we just can't stop and then we might actually end up watching 3 or 4 more. You know that you're obsessed when you can pretty much think of an "Office" quote for almost any situation (I never thought that that would ever happen again after Seinfeld and Saved by the Bell...yes, Saved by the Bell...ahh the memories!!)

We're kind of going through withdrawal now that our entertainment has run out...any ideas??

Cheers!!!

Mommy dearest...

Yesterday I took my sweet mom and aunt to the airport to go back to Tennessee after their 10-day trip here to Cape Town. It FLEW by, but I don’t think that the trip could have gone any better. They had a blast and it was so wonderful to introduce people from home to my world here in CT, and also for them to spend time with the people that I have become close to.

God gave us wonderful weather! The crazy tornado winds did actually stop and we had some beautiful, sunny days. We drove all over Cape Town and even took a couple of trips to some towns outside of CT. We saw a ton of whales in a little town called Hermanus, and drove throught some cute towns in the wine country of SA. We went non- stop while they were here and I'm beginning to feel the exhaustion (I'm not as young as I used to be :) We went to the Cape Point (google it!!) and almost got blown into the Atlantic Ocean...and saw an ostrich walking down the road (I pulled out all the stops for them :) I think one of my favorite days was on Friday when they came to work with me to Living Hope. Then they got to see what my day to day looks like and met some of the amazing men and women who work for this ministry!

I think that their life flashed before their eyes only a couple of times while I was driving ☺ . I decided that they should experience pulling out onto the wrong side of the road at least once, so I did that for them on the way to the airport ☺ I think I was actually more upset about that one than they were…they were so calm!!

I feel so blessed to have had the chance to share my little Cape Town life with mom and Jane!! Phone calls, e-mails, and blogs just don’t express things like seeing it first hand!! It’s crazy that I hadn’t seen mom in over 2 months and when she got here, it seemed like no time had past since I’d been with her. I know that it’s only through God’s graciousness to me that He allowed her and Jane to come. What a gift!! I’m so thankful!! There’s just nothing like being with your mama :)

I know that there have been so many prayers going up for mom and Jane on their trip over, while they are here, and even now as they are almost home!! How can I tell you thanks for the thoughtful prayers that have covered these past couple of weeks. Having them here and spending such wonderful, encouraging time with them has been a highlight for me. God made the way so straight and clear and easy, and I pray that this last leg of their trip has been easy as well!! They should be landing in DC about now…after their 18-hour flight (bless their hearts!!)

And by the way…if you are wondering…Mom’s back definitely behaved!! Praise the Lord!!

Now I’m sitting back here at Living Hope…my first day back in over a week. When I walked in I realized how much I missed this place and the people here. It’s good to be back!! I’m excited about what is ahead in the next couple of months.

The sisters have landed...

Look who's here!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Friday night, my mom and aunt arrived safely from the good ole US of A!! Thanks for all the prayers for safety and a "behaving" back!! They had a uneventful trip and looked great when they arrived! So far the jet lag isn't killing them, but the wind might...

We've had great weather and good days so far. I'm enjoying showing them all the sights of my 5 month Cape Town home. The wind has been crazy yesterday and today...I mean kind of like tornado winds in Nashville. They call it the Cape Doctor, and no one really seems to be alarmed that it feels like the wind will blow your head off. This morning we went out to Cape Point, and at the Cape of Good Hope the wind literally knocked me off my feet. Picture this...me blowing over on my butt...stunned and laughing my head off that I'm not sturdy enough to withstand the million mile an hour winds!!

Anyway, Ann and Jane are doing great...having a blast...loving the sights...and definitely loving my South African driving skills!! Thanks again for all the prayers to get them safely here...having them here is a highlight!!

September 28

Pic 1 and 2- Taken yesterday afternoon in the township of Masiphumele.

I must be having writer’s block because I have no idea what to write. But well, I guess you have to be a writer to have writer’s block…so since I’m no writer, I’ll just tell you what’s on my mind and some random events from the week…

Monday was National Heritage Day…and National Braai Day…so we celebrated this fine day by going to a braai and watching the final in the international cricket competition (no, I’m not talking about the bug). And by the way…trying to figure out cricket is not the easiest thing for me ☺ (but then again, I’ve never really been one to catch on to things quickly). Oh yes…how could I forget that Zana got bitten by a one-eyed dog…she’s pretty disturbed…keeps asking, “What does this mean?” If you have any insight into what it means to be bitten by a one-eyed dog, please let me know so that I can pass it on to her.

Tuesday…back to work…I spent the morning at the hospital with the LHCC social worker and a client who needed emergency care…and if you’re wondering, waiting in doctor’s offices is not just a US thing, it’s all over the world ☺

Wednesday was a great day because there was a special kid’s event that Zana, Nat, and I went to in Capricorn. Volunteers from the Navy came to play games with the kids and to run the club for the afternoon. There were about 70 kids there, all running around barefooted in a sandy area filled with broken glass, trash, rocks, and who knows what!! I cringe when I think of all the disease and infection that they could be getting…it kind of feels like a disaster waiting to happen. But I have to remember too that a lot of these thought come from my norm of not walking around barefooted all the time. If I grew up here, I might be doing the same thing. I asked one of the Life Skills Educators about this and she said that sometimes she thinks that it is just more comfortable for them to walk around barefooted…it’s just what they are used to…because they have to have shoes to go to school anyway. Other times she says, she thinks it may be because they don’t have shoes. Her conclusion is that it may be a little more of the latter than the former. I hope this is the case. May God use their calloused and beautiful feet to spread the good news of the gospel to their family, community, and country…

A part of the festivities of the club that day was a dance contest…so yes…these little kids were rocking out to the latest songs with a pretty heavy techno beat. My observations of this “dance contest” have led me to the conclusion that white people really CAN’T dance.

Today is Thursday and once again, I got locked in the flat (I feel the need to explain how this can happen…well, you have to lock the door from the outside and the inside…so if the door is locked from the outside and you don’t have a key inside to unlock it, guess what? You’re LOCKD IN…) Nat saved the day by climbing out of the window!!

It’s now Thursday night and 24 hours from now I am going to be waiting at the Cape Town Airport for my mom to arrive in Cape Town!!!!!!!!! Words cannot express how excited I am for her and my aunt Jane to get here!! I am dying to share my world here with them and for them experience some of the things that God has so graciously allowed me to experience here in my temporary Cape Town home ☺ I just can’t wait to hug my mom’s neck!!

This week, these are the things on my mind…and I realize that if you’re still reading, you either like me a lot ☺ or you are related to me ☺. Anyway, I’m sitting here listening to Shane and Shane’s song “Hearts of Servants.” These lines are gripping me at the moment and the prayer of my heart. “…put within us tenderness…release from us our selfishness that we’d consider them better...we are Yours, give use hearts of servants…”

Zana read this passage from Romans 15 this week and it has been rolling around in my head…(I’ve highlighted the phrases that have stuck with me…)

“Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, "How can I help?" That's exactly what Jesus did. He didn't make it easy for himself by avoiding people's troubles, but waded right in and helped out. "I took on the troubles of the troubled," is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it's written for us.” (The Message).

Lord, may I not be consumed by living a life of convenience, but one of service and selflessness.

So, it seems to me that God is trying to teach me a little about servant hood and also revealing a lot of what is in my heart (which is selfishness). It also seems to me that I don’t so much have writer’s block after all ☺

Talk with you soon…

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

Please pray for...

1. The children of Sutherland, Masiphumele, Ocean View, Capricorn, Red Hill, and Muizenberg- They are vulnerable to all sorts of evil and abuse (evil and darkness pervade these areas). Pray for God’s protection and blessings on their lives and that He would raise these children up to someday be men and women who live for Him alone- and bring transformation to their communties.

2. The homeless men and women of Muizenberg- That they will bring Christ all of their guilt and shame, and fully receive His love and mercy.

3. The patients of the Health Care Center- That God will bring spiritual, physical, and emotional healing during their stay at LHCC. Also, that He would give them the strength and determination to live a healthy lifestyle when they return home.

4. That I will serve the people of Cape Town and Living Hope with a joyful and cheerful heart!

5. That I will be obedient and sensitive to the voice of God in my life, and move as His Spirit leads.

Thursday...I think summer might be here :)

Just wanted to give ya'll a quick shout out from CT!! I think summer may be here...after the unusually long winter (I'm so glad I happened to be here for that) Weather predictions are never quite right here, but when people who have lived in CT all their life say that summer has most likely arrived... I choose to believe them (because weather.com hasn't proven to be too reliable :) We actually went to the beach after work one day and I was wearing a tank top!! My thoughts...I can definitley get used to LIVING on the beach!!

On Wednesday, I spent most of my day with a social work intern named Sheralyn. She asked me to join her in looking for a couple of men who had been regulars at the LHCC center for the homeless. These men had been given some money by LHCC to travel to get some government papers so that they could begin a job that had been secured for them by a LHCC staff member. Unfortunately on the way, one of the men bought booze for a friend, then felt so guilty about what he'd done that he used the rest on alcohol for himself. These 2 men felt a lot of guilt for what they had done and did not want to come back to LHCC because of the deep shame they felt. We were searching to tell them that they we want them to come back to LHCC, and they will be accepted there.

We searched for a couple of hours, going to all the different beaches and liquor stores that the homeless hang out at. I just want you to know that there are homeless people EVERYWHERE here (they are drunk, high, bored, and unemployed). It seems like quite the hopeless situation. As we searched and asked around all I could think about was the prodigal son and the one lost sheep that was sought out by the shepherd. Also, I had just read in Neh. 9 an account of God's faithfulness to Isreal despite their repeated pattern of disobedience. What a picture of God's people (Sheralyn and LHCC) extending His love, mercy, and grace to someone who has made a mistake and gone astray- but inviting him back in. Then I thought, "That's me...I'm the one who has taken what has been given (grace), squandered it, and made a complete mess of things...yet God in His great mercy has sought me out and found me in my sin." Praise the Lord for His great love...we can't keep Him from pursuing us!!

The stories that I hear here are absolutely astounding and humbling. Like the Health Care Center patient that I talked to today that has just found out last month that she is HIV positive. The only way she can figure she got it is from her "naughty" husband, who never told her of his HIV status. He hung himself on Christmas day 3 years ago. She knows that he did this because he had just learned his HIV status, but didn't tell her...his wife! And when I asked her how she felt about this, she said, "What can I do...I can't talk to him...only the Lord can." Wow!! I'm not sure that I'd react in the same way...humbling...

Yesterday I left the lights on in Katie, she died, and I had to call a mechanic. I felt pretty stupid. Let's hope I don't make a mistake like that again. Then, I had a haircut...and I'll just say that I should have known better than to get my haircut in a foreign country. We are happily washing our dishes in the kitchen sink now! Monday is another public holiday (what adventures await!!) I love The Office, we are in the middle of Season 2 and all three of us LOVE Jim!! I was told that I was "fat" today...which is acutally a compliment here...talk about a cultural difference :)

I'm so excited because my mom and aunt are coming to visit next week!! I can hardly wait!!! They'll be here in 8 days!! Pray for a safe journey and jet lag mercies :)

Weather today...hot for a couple of hours!!

Pic 1- Group today...Seated- Jessica, Paul, Belinda, and I'm not sure what his name is, but he's precious and from Angola :). Standing- Nomsuela, Yolanda, and Dina.

I found out today that Freddie (see blog below) passed away. No more pain for him…He is now in God’s presence!!

I also wanted to update you on a patient that I had asked for prayers for in my August update…Mark. He prayed to receive Christ yesterday!! And today, he was release to go home. He’s had an exciting couple of days! He told me that said he has been at Living Hope for 49 days. He has been there since I first started there, so I am sad to see his familiar face go, but so happy that he is finally going home! Pray that Mark would develop a hunger for Christ and a desire to know Him through His Word. Pray that he would become part of a body of believers that can encourage him in his new faith, and that he will make wise choices and take care of his physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

Today I had a group with a couple of the patients and the carers from the Health Care Center. Every week, the carers come to join the group (I’m not sure if it’s out of boredom or what ☺). I think that it’s great for them to join because it allows them to talk freely and do something fun! They are very open to sharing and today talked a lot about the recent deaths that have happened at the hospice. Three people have passed away in the past couple of days. These carers are the ones that are with they dying in the end because often times the family lives too far away to be by the patient’s side…or worse, there is no family to be with them. Although, this is hard and sad for the carers, it is a wonderful privilege for them to comfort and love on the patients in their final days. These women (and men) have great strength and such a love for their job and their patients. I felt so blessed to get to sit and listen to them talk about the feelings that they experience and the God that is their strength. Please pray for the carers of the hospice that God will continue to strengthen them as they care for the sick and dying.

Hmmm…what else to tell you…I haven’t been driving on the wrong side of the road lately (Mom and Dad you can breathe now ☺) and we are still washing dishes in the tub!! Things have taken a little longer with the plumbing than we’d like, but we’re patient…at least we are really trying to be ☺. See pic (I'm not sure why it's sideways and don't have the time to fix it...I hope you understand :)...this is Zana washing the dishes...





Another fun thing to let you know is that we have developed our own workout program that we like to call “Butt Busters.” What does this entail…I’m sure that you’re dying to know!! Well, it’s me, Zana, and Nat running in place, doing jumping jacks, kicking, doing crunches, push-ups, and tons of other crazy exercises- for a total of 30 minutes. And this goes without saying, but…we look SO COOL doing “Butt Busters!! We blast the music and sweat like you wouldn’t believe!! I’m sure that they people in the flat below just love us…maybe we should ask them to come join…

Oh blog titles...you make my brain hurt...

Pic 1- This is my South African mom...her name is Deb, and she is the cook here at the Health Care Center. She is precious and passionate about talking with patients here about the hope of Christ.

Pic 2- This is Deb's daughter Tonya and Tonya's daughter Kiara. Tonya also works as a cook at the Health Care Centre. This pic was taken a couple of weeks ago, when we had Sunday lunch at Tonya's house- with Deb and the rest of their family. It was so much fun!! What a blessing to be invited into someone's home and laugh and talk together!! We had a blast!!


Some of the many feelings that I’ve felt this week (well actually last week)…

THANKFUL…1. That being obedient to God is such fun!! I know that sounds incredibly corny, but I can’t even believe that God called me to such a wonderful place…to share life with wonderful friends, to build relationships with new people, and to experience and see God in new ways!!! 2. That I have been provided with a way to be able to serve in several different areas of Cape Town and LHCC, because He provided me with transportation and mobility to get to these places. 3. That they weather is finally starting to warm up!! Spring is here and I’m chomping at the bit to get out my capris and summer skirts—pray for warm weather ☺

FRUSTRATED…1. I got locked IN the flat 2 times this week. 2. Katie died on us on Wednesday morning. 3. Having a few plumbing issues in the flat---can’t get water to go down the drain in our kitchen, and South African Drano has not been too helpful. On Saturday morning, Zana resorted to washing the dishes in the bathtub. 3. Friday morning…once again, I was locked IN the flat 10 minutes before I had to be at a meeting that I was leading. I had no airtime on my phone, so couldn’t call out or text message…and being such a quick thinker (umm…please note the sarcasm in my voice ☺) I decided that my only option was to climb out the bathroom window. Picture this…me crawling out of a 1 ½ ft x 2 ft window. I’m sure the men out working in the yard got a good laugh out of my legs dangling out of the window. (By the way, when I arrived at my meeting no one was even there yet…this is what we call “African time.”- translation- “time” has a completely new meaning on this continent.) 4. On Friday I totally “lost my edge” with my South African driving skills and had the hardest time remembering what side of the road to drive on. I definitely turned into the wrong lane and a car was coming straight toward me honking (or as the South Africans say, “hooting.”). Fortunately, there was no one in the other lane so I could move out of the way fast and turn left. Needless to say, my heart about beat out of my chest in that moment!! And now, after telling this…the prayers from home for my safety on the road are probably quadrupling!! Don't worry, I'll get "the edge" back :)

I could go on about the frustrating things that happened on Friday, but I’ll spare you all the needless details…and if you know me, you know that that is a big deal for me because I pretty much thrive on giving ALL the details!! (right Mom?). Next feeling…

HUMBLED…In the middle of my frustrating day on Friday, I had an experience that put everything into perspective and that I’ll probably remember for the rest of my life. It pretty much made me realize that all of my frustrations or problems are needless and petty.

A nurse came in and asked Natalie and I if we’d like to pray with a patient who is terminally ill and probably does not have long to live. He has tongue cancer and had been at the HCU a few weeks ago and was transferred to another hospital. He was sent back to Living Hope to spend his remaining days there.

It was a moving experience to hear Natalie pray for this sweet man named Freddie. I knew I would not be able to hold it together to pray for him as I was a little emotional already and can pretty much cry at the drop of a hat anyway ☺ After the prayer, Freddie said to us, “God is still good…” Wow!!!

After praying, he asked us to read the Bible to him. I finished up 2 Corinthians, then continued on into Galatians. It was a pretty powerful and humbling experience to read from God’s Word to a dying man. His Word is pretty much the only thing that matters when you are at the end of your life. We are pretty good and jumbling life up with all sorts of complications, but at the end of it all nothing else matters but God and us.

Freddie was obviously a believer by the way he listened, looked, and “uh-huhed” as I read. He was constantly agreeing with the words of Truth that I was reading. How can you be in that situation and not be moved to tears when you read….”I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

At this point, I was really kind of choking up as I read. You know when you are really trying hard to hold it together…but failing miserably and your face and voice are all contorted? Yeah well that was me ☺ He could see me struggling and held up his hand and said, “It’s ok.” I interpreted that as, “It’s ok, don't cry for me because I’m about to go home.”

How wonderful that I got to be apart of some of the final days of a man’s life and read the eternal and unchangeable Word of God to him. I wonder what it’s like to know that in a short while you’ll be seeing your Savior with your own eyes, and that the cares and pains of the world are about to fade completely.

I know that I’ll remember that moment with Freddie for a long time…

So these thoughts kind of some up a week of life of LB. I could write so much more, but then you’d be bored to tears ☺

Oh yes…well another highlight of the week (last week) was when my dad e-mailed to let me know of a small miracle that had occurred last Saturday…Vandy won...Alabama won…and UT lost…ALL IN ONE DAY!! Now that’s a good day!!

Sutherland

Pics 1, 2, 3- The beautiful children of Sutherland!!!!!! I have so many great pics of the kids, I wish I could publish them all...these are a few of my favorites. Pic 3- This is Jamie- she quickly took my heart...we danced in the streets together- I wonder what her life is like...

This past weekend I had the incredible experience of getting to go on a mission trip…sounds kind of funny, since I’m pretty much on a 5-month mission trip!! I guess it’s a mission trip within a mission trip ☺ I left last Friday morning and I went with 7 others- Natalie, Zana, and others who work with LHCC. We traveled about 4 hours north of Cape Town to a tiny and frigid little town called Sutherland. (If you’re interested in a little international trivia…Sutherland is the home of the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere…the South African Large Telescope, or SALT. Don’t be intimidated by the high-tech name ☺)

Because Sutherland is far inland, in the Northern Cape, it has completely different weather than Cape Town. I’m not kidding when I say it was FREEZING!!! I’m pretty sure that the thermometer did reach the freezing mark!! It was kind of like spending the weekend in a refrigerator, or maybe even a freezer!! I kid you not that I slept in 3 shirts, a fleece, 3 pairs of socks, pants, 3 blankets, and a sleeping bag and I was still cold!! Not really the Africa that we are accustomed to thinking about, right? We stayed in a school, ate all our meals there, etc. Zana described the hallway of the school to be like in the movie, “The Shining,” hmmm…that made for some frightening walks down the hall!!

Anyway, the trip was absolutely great…we were there to come alongside a sweet and quiet man named Pastor Lofti, our goal was to do some community outreach. A little bit about Sutherland…it is not an area of too much crime, but there are severe problems of alcohol and unemployment (75% unemployment rate).

On Friday night, we attended a rally at the church, and one of our trip members preached. The church meets in a school…Pastor Lofti is the pastor, worship leader, set up and tear down team! Their keyboard sits on an ironing board- innovative, right? Saturday morning, I helped with a few others to have some kids activities. We started off with about 15 kids, then they just kept coming and coming until we had 90+!! We were there with the next generation of Sutherland, speaking the gospel and singing Father Abraham!! They are precious children, full of smiles, and longing for hugs and attention. Probably the most powerful moment of the weekend for me happened during the Saturday night service when Pastor Lofti prayed a prayer of blessing and protection over the children. It was a beautiful sight to see the pastor and an elder with their hands stretched toward the children asking the Lord to surround them with angels and to protect them from the evil of alcoholism and abuse. All the while the children are looking around, laughing, and so innocently unaware of the intercession that was coming before their Father on their behalf. Pray that God would raise up these children to be God fearing and obedient men and women of the Lord, and that God would bring transformation to Sutherland through their lives.

During each service I was delighted at the freedom of worship that this body of believers has. I am not sure that I have ever experienced such genuinely joyful worship. They dance, run around, sing, and shout all for the glory of God. It was really exciting (and maybe even a little confusing at times ☺- by the way, their first language is Afrikaanz, which is a combination of Dutch and German- spoken by Colored people in SA)

Another highlight of the trip was on Friday night…Des, our leader, took us outside of the town to look at the stars. Oh my word…I cannot even describe the beauty of the African sky that I saw that night. It really seemed like I could reach out and touch the stars, and there were more of them than I have ever seen in my life. It made me feel pretty small…and God seem pretty HUGE!!

I’m so thankful for having been given the opportunity to go on a mission trip within an mission trip!! Pray for Sutherland, Pastor Lofti and his family- I am praying Isaiah 61:11 for this community- that righteousness and praise would sprout up all over the place and that the gospel message will rush through the streets like wildfire.

As I reflect back on this weekend, I think what I’ll remember most is the beautiful African sky, the freezing cold weather, the “large” telescope, and the children who have stolen my heart forever (especially sweet little Jamie- see pic 3 above).

Busy week...

Pic 1- One of the patients holding the "Serenity Prayer" This is what we read at the end of each group session. Pray that this prayer would become practice in the lives of the patients.

Pic 2-One of the patients named Patricia, she's a new believer!! She was led to the Lord by one of the staff of LHCC (Deb, my South African mom :)

Pic 3- This is a patient at the health care center named Mama Theta- see the blog below, "Theta walks" for more about her. She's walking better these days...baby steps everyday. Yesterday she walked all the way outstide to sit in the sun. This is the best picture of her that I've taken- sorry it's not great. This one was taken during a group session.
Here's just a short laundry list of what I've done so far this week. I plan to give you more details, but don't really have much time now :)

Tuesday AM- I attended a drug/alcohol addiction support group for "street people" (otherwise known to us as "homeless."). Wow!! I had lots of thoughts during and after this group. It was a great opportunity for me to be able to hear some very hard stories. My prayer for these men is that God would miraculously take away their taste and desire for alcohol and drugs. And also that they would come to understand the love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy of God Almighty. If I had half of the problems that these men have, I may be just like them- addicted to a substance that kills in every sense of the word. Pray that God would bring them true life, instead of the death of addiction. I plan to attend this group weekly, so you'll probably hear more :)

Tuesday afternoon- I attended kids club in a township called Masi. It was about 15 children of about 10-12 y/o. They were sweet and fun. I got to teach them a song (that was a little scary :) Then they sang for me!!! They sang a song that said "I want to go to heaven someday..." Except they sang it, "I want to go to heaven MONDAY!! (Wouldn't that be nice!!)

Wednesday- I went to a school called Zerilda Park with a team of 5 Life Skills Educators. We did 9, 30 minute classes in which they talked with the kids about making wise choices. It was so much fun, cause I was kind of in my element. I think they had as much energy in the first class at 8:00 as they did in the last class at 1:30. Me, on the other hand...I was almost dead the last half of the day! I'll plan to go with them to this school every Wednesday, so you'll be sure to hear more stories and see pics. The Life Skills Educators have been given complete freedom to teach on whatever they see appropriate for the kids of Zerilda Park. So that means they can tell the kids about the only real hope they could ever have- Jesus!! Pray that they'd be able to build trusting relationships with the kids and that their lives and words will speak of the hope of Christ!

Going on a mission trip this weekend to an area called Sutherland. It's supposed to be really cold- I'm not looking forward to bundling up again, but I'm excited about what God will do! Pray for safety and for open hearts of the people. More about that when I return.

I'm praying for rain in Nashville!! I'd love to trade weather...Lord bring some of Nashville's heat to CT and some of our rain to Nashville!!

Introducing...

Katie bug...

Just wanted to let ya’ll know that I am now on the road in South Africa!! My first few days have gone well- at least I think so, Nat and Zana may give you a different answer!!

So, the lady that we rented the car from gives names to all her cars. Our car is named Katie (sweet, right?). Sweet Katie is a little blue car that looks exactly like Tazz. I love Katie all ready- they only issue I have with her is that she has no radio or cd player. So I guess that gives me more time to pray for safety as I drive :). I think we’ll be pulling the iTunes on the laptop to break the silence!!

Katie doesn’t have power steering, so when you see me again, I’ll probably have HUGE arm muscles ☺ She has red seatbelts (we think it’s nice accent color.) She has power locks, but usually one door stays locked- and it’s always a different door everytime…so Katie likes to keep us guessing ☺ What else can I say about Katie…oh yes…she has a big green bumper sticker on her booty that says “Katie.” Kind of like a nametag, so she always knows who she is. I think we’ll call her Katie-bug (in honor of Nat and I’s sweet friend Katie Thompson). Katie sits a little low, so sadly…shorty that I am…I may have to invest in a little pillow to sit on ☺ Otherwise, I feel like I'm sitting in a hole and trying to see over the steering wheel.

My thoughts on driving on the opposite side of the road are these...it will take some getting used to- however, maybe not as long as I had originally thought. It’s kind of scary not knowing which direction cars are coming at me- but that’s why Zana and Nat are there, right? The windshield wipers and blinker are on opposite sides, so most times when I’m turning, I turn on the windshield wipers instead of the blinker (which I should tell you they call the indicator), and vice versa. I kind of drive slower than everyone else, so I might kind of make other driver's mad. So, I get passes a lot and they are not scared to ride the bumper or pass when there is not any room to pass. I'd say that South African driver's are a little crazy!!

I know that you're dying to see a picture of Katie bug, but we've had a little glitch in the whole uploading pics to our blogs. It seems that by uploading pics at Living Hope, we've pretty much used up their bandwidth for the month (oops...who knew they were on pre-paid internet service). So, unfortunately for you that means a lot less blog pics. Makes me said, but I'll still be posting them as much as I can :)

She walks...

This past week I’ve had the blessing of getting to know a dear little lady named Mama Theta. Before she arrived I had already heard so much about her, as she has been a patient at LHCC before. Actually, she was one of the first 10 patients of LHCC (the health care center opened in 2003, i think). So she naturally holds a dear place in the heart of the staff members (most of whom have been working there since the HCU opened). She has endeared herself as the unofficial mother of LHCC, kind of adopting the health care center’s staff members as her children.

Theta has several children, but they are grown and on with their own lives. The son that cares for her the most is around 18, and is working hard to finish up high school. However, he comes to visit her when he can.

The doctor has asked Natalie (she’s a physical therapist, or in South African a physio) to help Theta to get up and start walking so that she can care for herself when she has to go home. I had the blessing of getting to help in their physical therapy session yesterday. Nat had already been in once to get her out of bed, but she was too tired. This time though, she was ready to go!! With Nat supporting her on one side and me on the other, we began to take tiny, slow steps together. I could tell from her determined face, that we wouldn’t be stopping until she was ready. I didn’t expect us to go far, but as we walked she kept saying, “I’m not tired.” Interpretation: ”We’re not stopping!!” We walked all the way down the ward, into the reception area, and to the door to go outside! She probably would’ve gone outside if it hadn’t been raining! She just kept going and going, like the Energizer Bunny. Every time Natalie asked her if she was ready to turn around, she’d say…”Are you lazy?” Interpretation: “Can’t keep up??” It was so funny- obviously sarcasm is a universal language. We probably walked with her for 30 minutes…it was the highlight of my day.

Today, I found out that Theta’s youngest son, 16 years old, had been shot and killed over the weekend. Her family came to tell her on Tuesday. Today as we walked, she mentioned this and how she cried when they came to tell her. She wasn't even able to go to the funeral. I can’t even imagine what that must be like for her to deal with. Unfortunately, it’s probably a much more common occurrence than we’d like to think...

I just now returned from walking with Mama Theta again (I’m becoming a PT assistant, how exciting!!) After we finished she said that every day she will get better at walking, and when she goes home she will be able to go where she pleases. Then, she says that we must come to her every day!! Pray that God would continue to strengthen and prepare her body to go home, and also that God would prepare the way for her to be taken care of when she gets there.

Mama Theta is a strong and determined women, I can tell this by the way she walks (the focused look that comes over her face) and the way she talks of God, going home, and her family. She probably knows more about Gods strength and character than I ever will know.

If God sent me to South Africa just to walk with Theta, then that’s a good enough reason for me.

May the bread on your tongue...

Leave a trail of crumbs
To lead the hungry back to the place where they are from…

Take to the world…
This love, this hope and faith.
Take to the world this rare, relentless grace…
~"Take to the World," Caedmon's Call~

Thanks Caedmon’s Call for bringing me inspiration through my iPod on Monday morning!


Pic 1- Me and the girls at the Cape of Good Hope

Over this weekend I had the wonderful treat of spending time with a dear friend and former roommate-Kathy Pearson!! (It was lekkar- which is Afrikaanz for really good!!!) She has been working with Habitat for Humanity in Mozambique for the past couple of months. On her way back home she stopped in Cape Town for a few days to visit. Crazy that I'm a visitor in CT and she came to visit me!! We had the best time!! It was just like the “basement days.” If you didn’t know me when I lived in the basement apt. on Blair, then you won’t get that I guess. But I lived there with Kathy, Nat, and a couple of other friends (it was an incomplete reunion without Katie and Charis ☹

Anyway, we had the best time seeing the sites in CT and just hanging out and relaxing. Kathy is always kind of like a cup of cold water! She just refreshing, wise, and always bringing new and wonderful perspectives on life and the journey.

Probably the most memorable experience we had was walking on Fish Hoek beach and looking out and seeing 4 whales about 100 yards off the beach!!! We were way more excited than everyone around us- we kind of screamed and ran down the beach toward them! We may have looked silly, but hey…you can’t see that in TN!! We probably watched them for an hour. They were so cute, just playing and flipping around- it was precious!! Then I played fetch with a big, wet dog- and if you know me, you know that that's a pretty big deal!! And I loved it!! Wow- Boo has changed my world!

It was sad to take her to the airport- we all wanted her to stay- it seemed so natural to have her here! But, she had to leave…we just got back from taking her to the airport. With rush hour traffic it took us an hour and a half to get there!!

Something to look forward to this week…Well, brace yourself...I’m about to get out on the road!! WATCH OUT CAPE TOWN! I'm renting a car that will hopefully help me to be a little more mobile to get out and be a part of kids clubs and life skills classes in different townships. I’m excited to be able to be a part of more Living Hope excitement!! Just say lots of prayers that I quickly learn to drive on the opposite side of the road (and the car). That will take a lot of getting used to. I have to admit that I have a touch of road rage (anyone that has ridden with me could probably tell you!!), so I’m going to try really hard to keep that in check ☺ I have a feeling, a crazy video is in store for you!! I have to share the experience of driving with you, right?

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that Tazz (our car) got attacked by baboons this weekend. Ok, so you know how raccoons or possums wander around in TN? Baboons are the possums or raccoons of SA! We saw some walking across the road and stopped to take pics, then they kind of jumped on top of the car. You can only imagine the girly screams and laughter that erupted during this whole deal. All I can say is that I’m glad that our windows were rolled up!


Pic 2- I think he wanted Tazz to take him for a ride!!


Pic 3- Are they describing me or the baboons (I'm definitely attracted by food, I'm not sure about the dangerous part...well maybe when I'm driving in South Africa!!

Every day with Jesus...

...is sweeter than the day before...

This is the tune that has been ringing in my head all morning. One of the health care center patients has been singing this beautiful tune all morning! It's a welcome sound in the sterile, but peaceful halls of the wards.

Pic 1- She's working on the group activity!! She is the one who has been singing all morning long!! She is wonderfully helpful and helps me to set up for group and also helps to clean up!

Pic 2- The ladies with their beautiful creations!! I told them that they are artists!





Today was group day!! I look forward to these days for several reasons...1. I get to bake for the patients (any excuse I have to bake sweets, I take it!-today was peanut butter cookies), 2. It's just fun to get together with them and to see them interacting with each other, laughing, and smiling. We were kind of crammed into a tiny room and at one point it seemed like we were packed in like sardines. The staff members wanted to come in and see what was going on...we had patients, sisters (nurses), the cook, the doctor, me, and the patients packed in. I LOVED IT!! I could tell that the ladies enjoyed the activity- they created a collage- it was so fun to watch them create something all their own. Seeing them smile is pretty much the highlight of my day!

At the end of each group, we end by saying The Serenity Prayer (THANKS JULIE!!!). This prayer says..."God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference." How this works is I say it in English, then it is repeated in Xhosa by the translator, then the ladies repeat after her. Then it is read in Afrikaanz. I can't tell you what a beautiful thing it is to see the ladies holding hands, eyes closed, and speaking this prayer. How beautiful!! Would you pray this prayer for the patients of Living Hope?

By the way, wonderful news around LHCC is that Fish Hoek Baptist Church (LHCC was started as a ministry of this church) is the recipient of The Courageous Leadership Award. This award is given by World Vision, Saddleback Church, and Willow Creek Church. This is an international award given to the church that is making the biggest impact in their community on HIV/AIDS. Isn't that amazing!! It will be exciting to watch how God uses this recognition to grow the ministry of Living Hope!

Love ya'll!!

Technical Difficulties

Just to update you...this week Nat and I have been filling in at the front desk at the Health Care Center. I think I've already mentioned that, but let me just tell you...it's not as easy as it looks :) It's just a tiny bit of chaos, sometimes I've felt like I was kind of in a tornado!! It's a pretty hectic place at times, but I'm enjoying getting to know all the staff members that come in and out. I haven't been around the patients as much this week, but I will be having my groups this week, so will let you know how that goes :)

Ok, gotta go, the phone's ringing off the hook and I need to try to help! Samantha (she's the receptionist) WE MISS YOU!!

Sunrise

OK, I know that these sad pictures can do the sunrise justice, but...

One thing that God has been opening my eyes to as I have been here is the beauty of His creation. I’ve never been too great at recognizing God through creation- I guess I’ve always just taken it for granted. But what a gift He gives, and what a picture He shows us of Himself through the natural beauty that surrounds us.

In Cape Town, it’s hard not to be completely blown away by the beauty of the ocean, mountains, and sky. My favorite part has to be the sky!! It’s so huge and beautiful here (I know it’s as big in Nashvegas, but it definitely looks so much bigger here!). Anyway, my favorite part of the day has quickly become watching the sunrise. You may be thinking, “Wow Laural, how great that you go outside and watch the sunrise every morning...look at you go!!” Well, not so much…I watch it from my kitchen window ☺. It’s not a complete view, there are a few buildings in the way. But it’s beautiful just the same. I come in to make my coffee and it’s dark outside, as I make my toast and eat my banana I watch the sky change from deep blue to pink, yellow, orange…whatever God feels like that morning. But it’s always beautiful and fascinating to me, and I just wanted you to see the view from my kitchen window ☺

P.S. The girls have been asking our landlady for a curtain to cover the window, but I’m secretly hoping that she won’t buy one because it will DEFINITLEY get in the way of my morning view ☺

Hola Amigos!

Pic 1- Nice view!!

Pic 2- Showing off our hiking wounds!!

It’s been a great week!! I’ll try to hit the highlights…

I’ve started a weekly support-type group at the Health Care Centre (HCC) and each group has gone really well so far. Yesterday I had a men’s group …I lured them with cookies (these came out a little better than the ones that I made for the ladies ☺). One thing that impressed me about these men (Malcolm, Mxolisi, and Nsikelelo)…they don’t have a complaint about being sick and in the hospital. They each commented on the great care that they receive at Living Hope. Malcolm even said that after going from doctor to doctor and hospital to hospital, he was relieved when they told him that he was going to Living Hope because he knew what wonderful and peaceful place it is. I think that says so much for the careers, nurses, and staff of the HCC- but most importantly it testifies to the Spirit of God that is present there. Please pray for the patients at the HCC- that not only would God bring physical healing to their body, but that He’d be the Healer and Restorer of their souls. I have found the patients to be joyful and smiling despite their sickness. Also, pray that I would move at the impulse of Christ’s love and take every opportunity to be a vessel of his love to those that I come into contact with.

I have enjoyed getting better acquainted with the staff of the HCC- they are a lively bunch (to say the least ☺). I am often hearing them laugh and sing hymns as they work. They have quickly “adopted” me into their family- inviting us (Nat, Z, and me) to Sunday lunch at their house, to the carnival at their kids’ school, sending home food for us, and doting over my poor dry and cracked hands (I promise that 2 of the ladies about died when they say how dry my hands were and then coated my hands in a bunch of different kinds of lotion- and even sent some home with me ☺). It’s nice to have South African moms, since my mom is so far away ☺.

For the next 2 weeks, Nat and I will be filling in for the front desk receptionist at the HCC while she is out on vacation. What a task this will be!! She pretty much holds the place together- so hopefully we won’t make it fall apart. I’m excited to be helpful in this way. So, if you happen to call you’ll hear, “Living Hope, this is Laural.” A couple of times I’ve almost said “Christian Women’s Job Corps, this is Laural.” I guess old habits die slowly ☺

This week in SA they celebrated the national holiday of Women’s Day. I’m not exactly sure what this holiday means- but we celebrated!! We had the day off from work, so decided to go hiking. It was a beautiful and warm day, so out came the Chacos (ummm…kind of like heavy duty sandals, outdoorsy type shoes). We went up the road to a park called Silvermine and off we went! Nat was our trailblazer and led us through a beautiful trail with gorgeous views of Cape Town! We decided to go off the beaten path to a rock trail that would lead us up to the top of a mountain overlooking the city. After we lost the trail, we began to climb…seriously climb…I mean up rocks and stuff!! Can’t say that I’d really done that before. For you who know me, you know that my balance is not too great, so I concentrated really hard on Nat’s wise words to lean forward and grab the closest rock. I figured that I might live or die by those words!! It was so much fun, and a tiny bit scary all at the same time!! Praise God that I didn’t blow off the side of the top of the mountain because the wind was blowing insanely hard! And the view from the top was absolutely amazing!! (do you think I used enough exclamation points? It’s hard to convey the emotion of the experience ☺)

As we climbed down, I had visions of myself rolling down the mountain and taking Nat and Z with me, but fortunately that didn’t happen. We all survived and had a few scratches and a little blood as souvenirs of our Women’s Day adventure!

If you are still reading, I imagine that you are probably related to me and laughing at all the typos!! I promise that I’ve proofread this a few times and so please be kind if I missed a few errors ☺

First time for everything...

My FIRST traditional South African meal…Vet Koek (I’m not sure how you spell it). It’s easiest for me to say Fat Cook- so that’s what I call it…or Curry Bunny. Anyway, we were served this meal at a goodbye lunch for our friend, Heidi, who is leaving to go back to the US today. Fat Cook is kind of a mince stew type thing (what the heck is mince?), with curry in it. They make these delicious buns, and you put the mince in it and eat like a sandwich. I know it looks kind of gross, but…yummy to my tummy…and I don’t even like curry!



My FIRST time to bake cookies! Added a little too much water since I wasn’t too sure what milliliters is (I know…that’s pitiful!), then that made the color on the M & Ms run- so they were a little strange looking and sticky cake like. But no worries on the taste- they were delish- and you can see the empty container to prove it! (I brought them to group with the patients and they ate them all!)



This is the best one…I hope you’re still reading! Today I held my FIRST support group with patients here at the Health Care Center. Last night, Nat, Z, and I prayed that today would be a sunny day so that patients would feel like getting out of bed and coming to group (they’ve not had a group before). And guess what, God gave us a beautiful sunny day!! I had a group of 6 ladies waiting for me when it was time for group to start. Everyone shared a little about their life and two ladies said something that has been ringing in my mind…

Maggie and Tambisa each shared that after coming to Living Hope life has changed for the better. By this they didn’t mean just physically better, they have become Christians since they came to Living Hope! It brings to mind the verse that says- what Satan means for evil, God means for good (or something like that). Without sickness they may not have come to Living Hope to realize the “sickness” of their soul. Satan meant for their sickness to bring complete death- and although they are not protected from death, their soul is now safe and will live forever. Sickness has actually now brought true life! That’s exciting! It’s so wonderful to be a part of a place where healing occurs- not just physical healing, but spiritual healing and deliverance from the illness of sin!

The first group went wonderfully well and I’m excited about what’s ahead- we’re going to do some fun stuff. As I talked about having a time to get together this week and talk, play games, and do activities together- they were all nodding their head in agreement that they need a little action in their day ☺.

By the way…today is a beautiful sunny day and the forecast is looking good for the rest of the week!! Oh yes, Thursday is a national holiday…Women’s Day…nice…shouldn’t we celebrate that at home?

Gorgeous days!!

Pic 1- Our flat is now complete!! Natalie has arrived...this is us on the first flat movie night- what a crazy Friday night!!

Pic 2- Kalk Bay pier

Pic 3- My feet and the Atlantic Ocean

Crazy weekend in South Africa!! Last night I got to do 2 of my favorite things…1. Eat sushi (yippee!! I don’t’ have to go with out my dear spicy tuna roll in SA), and 2. Watch one of my movie faves “Love Actually.” How could it get much better?

Saturday was wonderful too! Saturdays will be our adventure and exploring days, so we had a busy day planned. It started off with a morning run. This is the perfect weather to run because it’s cool, but not too cool. It’s like running on a fall morning in TN. The sky was clear and the sun shining- because of the horrible weather that we’ve had I get so excited about pretty days! Then we came back to the flat, Zana cooked breakfast and we did a little Pilates (I don’t think I’ve told ya’ll about our workout sessions of POWER Yoga and Pilates…we cram in our living room and crowd around my computer…it’s great- and a tight squeeze!!) Anyway, the morning started off so perfect that I couldn’t help but introduce my 2 roomies (yes…Natalie’s here!) to one of the best songs ever…”Oh What a Beautiful Morning,” from the best musical ever, “Oklahoma.” I should definitely note that this is my sister’s favorite movie- (I thought about you Bec ☺)

After we got ready, we embarked on our first day of exploration of this amazing town that we now call “home.” Cape Town is filled with all sorts of different areas and we decided to explore Kalk Bay and Muzenburg (basically because these are the only places we know how to find ☺). Kalk Bay is a cute area with lots of artsy shops, antique stores, and restaurants. There is a lot of Bohemian influence in the clothing, jewelry,and crafts in this area (and there are cutie purses everywhere- you know I love that!!)

In Kalk Bay there is a great pier filled with all sorts of brightly colored fishing boats. As we walked along the pier and looked out over the ocean, Zana, Nat, and I were all in agreement that God is pretty amazing to call us to such a beautiful place with so many new things to see and explore- and to get to do it all together!! We are determined to see and do everything we can during our time here- I am so excited!!

As we walked to the very tip of the pier- guess what we saw!!! A whale!! Whales come in to the bay around this time of year- except I think they are a little early this year. We definitely went out to Kalk Bay in hopes that we’d see one- but me in my usual pessimism figured that we probably wouldn’t see one. Thank goodness I was wrong, because we saw a huge whale surfacing several times! It didn’t seem that anyone else noticed or got to excited, but we definitely did! After we got our whale “fix,” we walked over to a restaurant that one of our friends had recommended. It was a beautiful, breezy place that over looked the bay- it was so beautiful- to bad my camera died so sorry no pics of this fun place.

Left the restaurant and the weather had turned a little colder, but we then went to a beach in Muzenburg where normally there are lots of surfers. Of course we went there to look for hot surfing men, but apparently they had all gone in for the day…sad. I got a phone call as we walked and all I could here was a man’s voice cracking up…finally I heard, “This is your dad!” That’s the last I heard, but I kept talking just in case he could still hear me. It’s amazing to me that I can get a phone call from Goodlettsville, TN all the way in Cape Town- but I guess it’s not that amazing because I couldn’t hear anything ☺

Last stop for the day, we went to watch the sunset at Noorhoek Beach- well we kind of missed the sunset cause I had to make a “pitstop” on the way ☺ I cannot even tell you how beautiful the sky was. I tried to take in all the sights and sounds of the beauty that God has created for me (and everyone) to enjoy. He didn’t have to, He just did! The colors of the sky were amazing- from deep blues to gold and orange. I shut my eyes and listened to the waves and birds and these are the words that came to my head…”The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty, let all the earth rejoice…How great is our God…Chris Tomlin says it well! Then I also thought of the Caedmon’s Call song, “God of Wonders.” This was a great way to end an amazing day of fun- that I feel so blessed to have!!

Oh yeah, another thing about my day is that I have had a horrible crick in my neck all day- it kind of runs from my neck to my back. So, I haven’t been able to move my neck really today, and it feels a little crooked. This time 2 years ago I had a stiff and crooked neck too!! If you didn’t know me then, it was from pretty serious and sudden brain surgery that I had in June 2005. So my crick today reminded me of God’s goodness to deliver me from that whole deal- He was so good to let me live and let me to experience all the wonderful things that I am experiencing here in Africa. I’m so thankful for that humbling and wonderful reminder! Mom and Dad dry your eyes ☺

So this is my long commentary on the day…stay tuned for more Saturday adventures…next week…cliff diving!!

These title stress me out, I can't think of anything creative!

Pic 1- You know the mall that I've talked so much about? Well this is it, and I'm usually following Zana around the mall- mom and dad can tell you that I'm kind of a slow walker, so here's your proof.

Pic 2- Zana and Tazz- So I'm not sure how much I've talked about our car, but it's always an adventure every time we hop in! It's kind of a jerky drive, but Tazz is really old and has lots of aches and pains. We think Tazz has a lot of abandonment issues because of all the volunteers that have used and abused her.

Well, I had this really long blog that I typed on another computer and now I can't open it up on this computer...dang Mac (just kidding Matt- don't cry :)

Today has been a good day. This morning I prayed with several of the patients here in the Health Care Center- I've decided that I'm going to pray with a few of them everyday. That's the best thing that anyone can do, right? I chatted with some of the men about American football and told them that my dear Tennessee Titans will be starting their season soon...I'm hoping for a good year for them- don't let me down Vince!

This afternoon Z and I went to deposit our rent- we go to this bank that has these strange doors. You walk through one door into this tiny glass room, then once the door behind closes, you can walk through the door in front of you to the teller. Tight security here in Long Beach Mall :)

Then back to LHCC to congratulate some of our new friends who got engaged last night. Sherna is a precious South African friend who is the Marketing Coordinator at LHCC- she took Z and I out for our first movie in SA ("Stomp the Yard"). Her fiance is Tony- from California- he moved here last year to help people in poverty to start their own businesses. He was also my "taxi driver" this afternoon as he took me to Masiphumele to watch a Life Skills Ed class. I think I'll be calling him a lot for rides during the work day :) Anyway, their getting married and now I'll get to go to a South African wedding!! I'm so excited!

Tonight is the night that my sweet friend Natalie arrives in SA!! I'm going to the airport to pick her up and I can hardly wait!! She is a dear friend and now they'll be three of us living in our cutie flat.

Love you all, but gotta go, time runs out quick in this internet cafe'!

Happy 1st day of August!

On Monday, I went to a school in Masiphumele, a township of about 40,000 people (that’s a very rough estimate). I went to a Life Skills Education class taught by an LHCC staff member- I have been waiting to get to go to a school- so I was really excited!!

We were in a 6th grade classroom, and I counted around 40 students sitting in a small portable. They were a pretty lively class- and of course me walking in- a white woman- caused quite a commotion! I’m sure the teacher really appreciated that ☺ Anyway, I was pretty surprised when they pulled out their books for the class- it was THE BIBLE!! Can you believe that? What a contrast from public schools in the US! The lesson was on self-esteem, and the text was Psalm 139. What a wonderful message is being given to children in schools all over Cape Town! God’s Word is obviously alive the schools! After the lesson, the teacher prayed a powerful prayer over the children. It was pretty incredible!

Praise the Lord that He has opened the door for 16 new Life Skills Education classes to be taught beginning this week! Pray that God would use these classes to bring children of Masiphumele, Ocean View, Capricorn, and Muizenburg to a saving knowledge of Him. And then that through their salvation, they would bring transformation and hope to their communities!

So far it has been a sunny and beautiful week here in Cape Town! It’s been nice to see the patients at the Health Care Center sitting out on the porch enjoying the sun, instead or curled up in their beds trying to stay warm. Yesterday I played a game of badminton out in the yard with one of the patients…I’m quite the badminton pro!

Some sunshine!!

These are a couple of pics from our "tour" around the area yesterday. Can you belive how beautiful Cape Town is?? This is a view of False Bay and the other picture was taken in a township called Khylitsha. It is a township of about 200, 000, I am told, and everyone lives in shanty type houses. They build them out of whatever scraps they can find-tin, wood, etc. And no "in-house" plumbing, they have community toilets.

Today I am in need of prayers from you!! Please pray for boldness, creativity, wisdom, and pro-activeness :)

During lunch, Zana and I took our clothes to be washed...our first visit to the laundry mat. We are completely out of clean clothes!! I'm a little particular about the way I wash and dry my clothes, so it was hard to leave them in someone elses hands :) I guess I'll know by this time tomorrow if they all get shrunk!! Tonight we'll go have dinner with a team that is here from California. They invited us over for Mexican food!! If you know me at all, you know I have a deep love for the chips and salsa- so needless to say I'm excited!

More sideways rain

Enoch made it home safely- got word on Wednesday morning that his family had picked him up! Praise the Lord for safe travels!

One week down at Living Hope!! It was a good week- I have learned a lot and really gotten to see how God works through this ministry. By the end of the week, I’ve gotten an idea of some of the things that I’ll be doing here (although I’m sure that it will change a couple of times…that’s just the way things work here!). I’ll be doing several groups each week with the patients in the Health Care Center. One time per month I’ll be having group with the Life Skills Educators (they teach character ed in public schools). And I may have a chance over these next few months to teach Life Skills and an area called Capricorn. I’m excited about all that is ahead- but I really need your prayers to help me to do these tasks well.

Looking back on this week- one thing has been on my mind the entire time…and that is that the needs here in Cape Town are absolutely overwhelming. There is no way that LHCC can meet all the needs of this area. It’s a little disheartening to think about the scope of the needs- but I am beginning to learn to look at it from the perspective of the lives that are being touched by the ministry of LHCC, and not focus on all those that are still in need of help. Despite the hard things that go on here, our God is mighty and at work all over the place!

The cold and rainy weather has continued over the past few days- I have to be honest it’s getting a little annoying. But I know that God is trying to teach me something even through the weather!!

This weekend we have gotten to spend a lot of time with 2 missionaries from the US- they have kind of shown us “the ropes” and taken us to their favorite restaurants and scenic spots. Would you believe that one of these ladies is a student at Union (my dear sweet alma mater!!) It’s amazing the people you’ll run in to across the world!

Today is Sunday and we went to 2 worship services- one at Fish Hoek Baptist Church- that is not too different from Rolling Hills or Parkway. Then, we went to Masiphumele Baptist Church- an entirely African experience! Completely amazing!! They know how to praise the Lord and don’t ever seem to get tired of singing! I really enjoy worshipping in Masi- even though I can’t understand what they are saying! Today as they sang I read 2 Samuel 7:18-28 and 1 Kings 8:22-61- these verses are great with the background of an African choir!

Will attach a few pictures tomorrow ☺

Sideways Rain

I've decided that the titles to the blog will the weather-related :) so that way you'll know the CT forecast :)

I’ve enjoyed the first few days that I’ve been at Living Hope. I’ve gotten to ask lots of questions about the social situation here in Cape Town. So, I’ll share what I’ve learned- I’m sure it will be in a jumbled up, fragmented way—but you love me anyway, right?

The unemployment rate is really high here- especially in the poverty stricken townships. This is a pretty complicated issue, I’m sure, but one reason is because it is really hard to find work here. Every morning on our way to work we see men lining up on the streets hoping for work- waiting for someone to pick them up for some random job. I wonder how many of these men wait and wait until they finally give up and walk back home. Another reason for the high unemployment is lack of motivation for work. People can oftentimes live off pensions or the goodwill of others- so there is no point in working. Alcoholism, crime, and drug abuse are rampant here- so also factor into unemployment.

Another major issue here is education. During the days of apartheid, black and coloured people did not have access to good education. Even if they did go to school- what would be the point- they could not get good jobs because the rules of apartheid kept them from achieving anything. So, there are generations of black and coloured people who see no value in education, so why would they care if their children were educated. So, children are encouraged to do well in school. Also, the gov't does not effectively regulate enforcing children to be in school.

But…there is a generation of children and teens now who really value education and learning. The farther SA gets away from the apartheid the more and more things will continue to change for the better. Jess, LHCC social worker, says that things have come a long way since apartheid ended—and will continue to change over time.

I know there is a lot more to learn and I’ll be excited to share it! Oh...the pics are of some of my new friends here!

Well I have to go, I’m off to help serve afternoon tea to the patients in the Health Care Unit! (Don’t you think we should have “tea time” in the US?..I definitely do ☺)

Have a wonderful day! ~L

See for yourself...

In the next few months, you'll definitely hear from my mouth- well not exactly- anyway, you'll hear from me about the different issues and concerns here in Cape Town. If you'd like to do a little more learning and research on your own, there is a great website called DATA- this stands for "Debt, Education, AIDS, Trade Africa." It's full of great info about each of these issues and gives great facts and figures on each African country- you should definitely take a look!

Also, if you'd like to learn more about Living Hope Community Ctr, take a look at their website. It will give you a great picture of the ministry that goes on here- and out from here :) With a better idea of the ministry- you'll be better equipped to pray!!

(links to these websites are on the left-hand side of this page :)

Rainy day...

I think I've figured out the uploading pictures issue...these are a few fun moments...

1. First home cooked meal in CT- Zana, me, pasta, and Seinfeld (on my laptop)!

2. Me in my office entertaining myself with the self-timer button on my camera :)

First day

I have been sitting here for 30 minutes waiting for a picture to upload to this page and I'm finally giving up!! I'll just have to do it another day. This was the caption..."The first home-cooked meal in our flat…Zana, pasta, and Seinfeld on the laptop. This is living!!"

I wish I had time to tell you of all the interesting things that we have encountered- but that would take too long! One of the oddest things is that we have to buy electricity for our apt. at the BP station down the street. We found that out after we lost power!!

Today was my first day at Living Hope. I was excited to meet Jess, the social worker that I’ll be working with. She is a very busy lady- working for all 5 LHCC centers- but she only really has time to effectively serve the Health Care Center. A couple of weeks ago they hired another social worker, so I also got to meet her- she’s still in the orientation phase. I got to go with them to a meeting with some support group leaders in a very impoverished area called Capricorn. It was there that I got to see some familiar faces of ladies that I’d met when I was here in Feb. They remembered me!! Isn’t that crazy!

The rest of this week, I’ll be kind of following Jess around and watching and learning from her. She said that after I get acclimated to tell her the areas that I’d most like to work in. I was glad to hear that from her- please pray that God would give me insight and wisdom to see the areas of which I can most effectively serve.

I’m almost done, but I want to tell you a quick story. When I arrived this morning, I met a young man named Enoch. He is from Malawi and came to Cape Town to find work. He got very sick and was somehow referred to LHCC for medical care in Sept. The doctor and nurse all told me that Enoch ahs been quite a handful- he ran away several times and had frequent hallucinations. However, with the care that he received from LHCC and strength from God, he has gotten back to good health. This morning he left LHCC for a 3-day bus ride back to Malawi! What an exciting thing to witness on my first day! I was almost in tears as I stood with Enoch and the staff to pray that God would protect him on his journey home. Say a prayer for Enoch’s safe journey- that He’ll make his bus transfers, take his medicine, and that his family will meet him in Malawi.

This is where I live!

Hope you like these pics, just wanted to let you see a little of what my world looks like here!

I hear from my “copy editor” named Mom that I need to proofread my blogs!! Ok, I promise I have proofed them all a few times! I’ve always been good at spelling and grammar- I guess I’m loosing my touch ☺

Today was the first outing in the car- Zana’s the driver! She did great considering she’s driving a stick on the opposite side of the car and the opposite side of the road. I was only afraid for my safety twice ☺

Don't have a title

Kristen, if you read this…this corny picture is for you! I found the Mugg and Bean!

Today (Friday) started off with a run…yes, I got to run and we’re in a pretty good spot to keep that up- good sidewalk. I’m not to confidant to run on roads with out sidewalks today cause I’m not too sure which direction cars are coming. They drive on the opposite side of the street- and I’d hate to get run over ☹ Anyway, I ran up a little hill and turned around to run back, and the view from there was absolutely beautiful to me…mountains with houses built up on the side and low lying clouds covering the tops of the mountains!! I got about as excited as you can get when you’re completely out of breath and feeling completely out of shape!! How exciting that that will be my view for the next 5 months! That was a great moment of realization of the beauty of this place, and the beauty of God’s creation that He made for us to enjoy…not just to enjoy, but to move us to glorify and worship the Maker. There is obviously beauty all around us no matter where we are and I hope that I never take it for granted again, but see it as the gift that it is.

So let me tell you about what we’ve found to be our second home (after 24 hours of being here). The mall!! We live across the street from it and have found it to have pretty much what we’ve needed so far. Dinner last night at the mall was Kentucky Fried Chicken (no biscuits here…a little disappointing). This morning we have had to leave our apt. cause they have sprayed for bugs. So to the mall we go…ate breakfast and a restaurant not too different from Starbucks, browsed through a home store not too different from Pier One, browsed through a bookstore not too different than Barnes and Noble. And now I’m sitting in an internet café, where today they are running a special…1 hour of internet use for 15 rand (that’s just over $2). What a bargain!!

Why do I share with you all these monotonous details? Well, if you know me, you know that I usually share way more details than necessary. But the main reason is because I want you to get a taste of what life is like in Cape Town. My goal is to share with you these things so that God will plant in you a passion and desire to pray for the people of Cape Town. I want my excitement for this place to jump through the internet to you ☺ If you read this and pray for me- that’s wonderful and I really appreciate that so much… But if by the time I leave here, you have not prayed for the people here or developed an interest in or a heart for them- I will feel a little bit like I’ve failed. I will leave here, but God won’t. So, the point is to pray, not just for me, but for the people of this city!! His work will continue forever in this place, long after I leave. So, in a nutshell, that’s my goal!!

Another side note…I will be living and working in 2 different settings- so very soon, I’ll be telling you more about the “hard” situations and experiences that are happening in this city. Those stories will be a lot different than coming to the mall, using the internet café and browsing through bookstores. But though I know I’ll encounter hard things, I know that I’ll encounter MUCH MORE hope!! I can’t wait!

I can’t believe how long this is- and how many times I said “so.” I’ll try to work on that!

The journey begins!!

So I made to Cape Town!! And I'm writing a blog!! This is a pretty new thing to me, this blog stuff (where did the word blog come from anyway?). So, be patient with me :)

As some of you know, I kind of lamented over a name for this crazy blog- and I know you are completely impressed with the title- I know it's very original :) But I do want to recognize the title that came in a close 2nd to "Letters from Cape Town." My sweet sister Becca suggested "Put on your CAPE and come to TOWN!" Isn't that great!! She was pretty sad that I didn't name it that, but you can't win 'em all! Thanks to all of you who tossed around suggestions- ultimately, the boring title won out.

So, just some quick thoughts...on the many, many hours on planes that it took me to get here, I had lots of time to think (in between the movies, iPod, reading, and being miserable and uncomfortable). As I sat and sat, I thought and thought about how thankful I am for 2 things...

1. That leaving is hard to do...Although it's just for 5 months, saying "See you later," to my precious family and friends was not easy- and there were some tears shed (if you know me at all, you know that really means "a lot of tears shed" :) How sad it would be if it was easy to leave because I didn't have significant relationships that I would miss. God has richly blessed me with so many deep and loyal friendships, and an amazing family that I can't even express how precious they are to me (and a dog that I love too!! who would've ever guessed!) So one of the ways that God shows His goodness to me is through relationships with people that I love and who kindly love me back!

2. 2nd thought...That God works through peopple allowed me to be a part of His story. God is God, and can pretty much bring salvation and redemption to the world without the help of anyone. However He has chosen to allow us- selfish, broken, and sinful people- to do His work. What a privilege to be allowed such a thing- that the God of the Universe has chosen you and I to display His goodness and glory to the world. That's quite a responsibility!! He doesn't have to use us, but He does! So, wherever it is that you are, God has chosen to put you there to do His work and display His glory! How exciting!!

This is longer than I planned, and I used way to may exclamation points--oh well!!