Rainbow Nation

 I want to thank everyone who has been reading my blogs. Your comments  and many more emails have been really encouraging to me. It's nice to know that I have people who are willing to go along on this journey with me. 

Some of the Kids during movie night

I'm  sitting here enjoying a nice glass of wine with my roommate at a lodge down the road from Refilwe, we have been here a few hours and we both don’t want to go back, just yet.  My roommate came to Africa a month and a half after I did, and I wasn't sure how it was going to be living with an older lady. She is 67 years old. Honestly, at first, I was not thrilled with the idea. It’s not that I have anything against older people it’s just that living with them, well….. that's a different story. Part of my concern came with the fact that I love having the children/youth and friends over to my place for movie and game nights and I was afraid she wouldn’t be okay with this. What I have previously known of older people is that they like to go to bed early.  I could just picture her saying "No company past 6:00pm, no exceptions!"  But I was wrong, very wrong. I've been living with her 7 weeks now and she stays up later than I do, cooks delicious food, welcomes any company that I have, and is becoming a good friend of mine. As much as I hate stereotypes I  guess I do fall guilty of them from time to time.

 This past weekend I went to Africa Abalze to help Leah and Piet with a career camp during the weekend. Even though I’m now exhausted I’m glade I was at the camp. An organization sponsored a 100 teenagers from rural areas to come to the camp. We had guest speakers come in to talk about their definition of success.  For most of these kids it was a great opportunity for them as many of them were encouraged to never give up regardless of the hardships that come their way. Many of these kids come from backgrounds of poverty and broken families and they realized that it is up to them to make a change to do things differently for their future and their future families. Some of the things that were taught were to never give up, don’t let hardships stop you from pursuing your goals, and to get anywhere in life we need to be able to work hard. I think that these teenagers left encouraged and excited for their future.

Making Worm Tea

Things at Refilwe are going very well. We have a YWAM group that is here for a few weeks and it’s been nice having them around. The projects that we have been working on around Refilwe are the Worm Farm and the Tree Nursery. Refilwe sells the worm tea as fertilizer in hopes that they can become self sufficient. Previously Refilwe was relying on donations but because of the declining economy they are coming up with ways of making income for their ministry. I have really enjoyed doing work outside in the worm farm and tree nursery and it’s nice to have a break from people.

I now have an African name that people are starting to call me. It’s Lerato which means love.  They wanted to give me an African name because they say that 'even though i'm white on the outside i'm African on the inside.'

 Oh Africa, I only have 4 more months left in this wonderful country but the things that i'm learning and the growth that is happening I hope will last a lifetime. In the future I know that short term missions will be a part of my life and that I hopefully will get to travel to different parts of the world, but living in a different country is an opportunity that I might never get again.  I love traveling and living in different countries and experiencing their culture.  I’m thankful that God has given me this chance to live with the people of Africa.  

Being here has made me realize the important things in life and what I want from it.  It’s interesting how going 10,000 miles away really shows you who your true friends are, the ones who are still there to encourage you and support you in your decision, and sometimes even the friendships that matter draw closer. "Side by side or miles apart, true friends stay close to your heart.” 

On the Rise

“The Lord has become my fortress, and my God is the rock in whom I take refuge.” Psalm 94:22

South Africa. The land of brokenness, miracles, and natural beauty. The land with hurting people, where time slows down, where “love your neighbor” reigns. The land where God's love and beauty is reveled.

Being here at this point in my life is the best thing I could ask for. It's a time for reflection and growth. Two months ago I had no idea what to expect coming to South Africa.  I had no idea I would get homesick and want to take that horribly long flight back home. I never expected to learn things about myself I never knew. I thought this trip was about helping others, but in turn it’s been helping me.

God is molding and shaping me. I know this is my time away from my family, my  friends and my life to figure a few things out and to become everything God has created me for. I sometimes feel a since of restlessness because my time in South Africa is going by so fast and I don’t want to waist any time while I’m here. I’ve found things in myself I want to change and things that I like and want to do more of.  I also find myself feeling restless for the future. Since I’ve been in South Africa I’ve discovered that I would love to adopt a child from a 3^rd world country along with having a few of my own, that I want to work in ministry, and that I want to learn to speak Spanish fluently. 

In my restlessness I’m reminded of Psalm 25:5

“Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; For you I wait all day.”

 I know when restlessness creeps up on me I need to be patient and to wait on God. I need to wait on him to lead me, to teach me, and to guide me. Sometimes in our stillness we learn the most. We learn to trust God and to be content with the unknown. We don’t have to have all the answers because after all we are not the ones in control.