The Final Week--

So I actually started packing my suitcase last night--reality is setting in that this season of my life is really coming to an end. Such a bittersweet moment..I am so beyond excited to be going home to see my family and friends, but over the past few months I have been blessed with a wonderful South African family that I will miss dearly. From people at church that have became great friends--to sweet kids at the orphanage and school--to amazing people we have met in our daily lives. They have all had such an impact on my life and I will miss them so much! This week will be our last visits to the orphanage and school--Pray for us as we prepare to say goodbye to those sweet children--pray that they know we truly love them, but more than that, they have a heavenly Father who loves them so much more. Pray for closure in those situations.

Next week will be used to spend some quality time with the friends we have made here--It is going to be such a fun week, but also very difficult as we prepare to say goodbye to these sweet people! I am so thankful for each of them and the impact they have had on my life!

On a lighter note--yesterday we took a road trip!! Dawn, another missionary and friend Ethan, and I went to the Kingdom of Swaziland for the day--It is a landlocked country about 4 hours from where we are. Even though it was cold and rainy, we had such a fun day getting to explore some of Swaziland and parts of South Africa we hadn't seen yet!

This will probably be my last blog update until we get to West Africa--since next week will be pretty busy with preparing to go home. Please pray for our final few days here--pray that we will be encouraging to people and have good closure in relationships we have established here. Also, please pray for safety as all the teams return to West Africa for debrief and then as we travel back to the states! I will update you all as soon as I can! Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support over the past 5 months! Can't wait to see you all soon!

Learning in Unexpected Ways

I think I start every blog with this--but the last 5 months of my life have been so incredible. Looking back I am overwhelmed with all the amazing lessons the Lord has taught me in unexpected ways. Whenever you begin to prepare for a trip like this you start to imagine all of the things you are going to experience and learn. For me--it's been completely and totally opposite. I thought I knew exactly what I was getting myself into--but the Lord has taught me lessons I didn't even know I needed to learn. He has taught me more about myself, the plans He has for me, His character, what ministry really looks like, and so many other things. It is truly overwhelming to think about all He has taught me--the real question now, as I prepare to end my time here, is what am I going to do with it? I am truly going to stay changed--or will I in a few months look back and realize that I went back to my old ways. Am I really allowing the Lord to truly change me? I think this is one of the biggest challenges in any christians walk with the Lord--He always teaches us things, but it is up to us to apply them and allow them to change our life.
Please continue to pray for me over the next few weeks as I continue to allow the Lord to teach me and change me. I am so thankful for all of you and your prayers! I am so thankful to have such wonderful family and friends that love and support me! I can't wait to see you all in just a few short weeks!

A Few More Weeks...

I can't believe that exactly 4 weeks from today my family will be picking me up from the airport--crazy! These last few months have been absolutley amazing, and yet so challenging. The Lord continues to amaze me with who He is--I am learning more and more about His character every day. The Lord has truly given me such a peace about resting in the fact that He is Sovereign--that He is in control of every aspect of my life. I can't wait to see where He leads and allows me to serve in the future. He has shown me what missions really is--not a job or a trip, but an intentional lifestyle.
I am so excited about seeing all of you in just a few short weeks, even though it's going to be so strange and difficult to leave everyone here. Thank you all so much for continuing to pray for me and ask about me throughout these last 4 months. Please don't stop--continue to pray that we will be intentional with our time and that the Lord will use us to encourage those around us in the last few weeks we have here. I'm excited to see the doors He will continue to open in the next few weeks! Love and Miss you all!!

Another Update:)

Hi everyone! Tomorrow officially marks the one month til we start our journey home--crazy! So as most of you have likely already heard, I went back to the doctor on friday because my jaw was getting worse. The oral surgeon did x-rays and we found out that my jaw actually was broken and they just missed it on the first x-ray in the emergency room. The doctor decided that the best course of treatment was to reset my jaw and wire it in place for two weeks. Which basically means I can't move my mouth--I can talk a little bit--I'm just a little hard to understand. I'm on a liquid diet for the next two weeks and then hopefully will get it loosened enough after that to be able to eat a little. It definitely isn't the ideal situation, but I truly know that the Lord is using this to teach me something and bring glory to Himself. That doesn't mean that I'm not frustrated or that I understand completely, but I do know that my Heavenly Father loves me and He does have a plan. Just last week the Lord really placed John 3:30 on my heart--"He must increase..I must decrease"

He is teaching me through this that it truly is all about Him--Everything in this world was created and exists for His glory. He doesn't need me to do anything for Him--but He allows me to be used by Him.

Just please be in prayer that the pain and discomfort will continue to diminish--That I will see how He wants to use this for His glory--That I will be able to still interact with the kids during the week--and that I will be patient in this uncomfortable situation. Also keep my parents in your prayers, I imagine it can't be fun for them to be far away and worried about me. Obviously nothing compares to having my real family here, but thankfully the Lord has placed great people in my life here to help take care of me.

One more month!

I cannot believe it really is the second day of November--one month from now I'll be starting the process of packing to come back home. I just can't believe it! The Lord has taught me so much over the past few months--stuff about myself, about Him and His Character, and about His plan for my life. I can't wait to see what the final month holds--I know He has great plans in store! Please continue to lift us up in prayer as we try to live intentionally every moment.
I don't really have much to update on since I spent the majority of last week at doctor's appointments of in the bed. I am feeling much better though! I have temporary teeth until I get home, the stiches came out yesterday, and the jaw is slowly getting better. Thank you all for the encouragement and prayers! Y'all are the best!
The dresses, shorts, and t-shirts are on their way to South Africa right now and I can't wait! Hopefully they will get here soon and I can get some pics up of the kids receiving them! I'm so thankful to have such a great church that plays such a vital role in ministry! Love you all and I'll see you soon!

My Sweet Family of Belivers

Today I just needed some time by myself--outside of the apartment complex--just to sit and read the word, journal, and think about some different things. Thankfully, our facilitator Stacie brought me to a coffee shop and dropped me off for a few hours. It has been wonderful--just having time to spend with the Lord completely by myself. While sitting here I just decided to look at my home churches website--I decided I would watch a sermon so I could at least semi feel like I was there. I watched the one from last week where you all prayed over the clothes for the children here and it honestly brought tears to my eyes. I feel beyond blessed to have such a loving church family who has such a heart for the nations of this world. You all play such a huge role in what the Lord is allowing us to do here and I'm so thankful for that. It is amazing to have such an amazing church family that loves me so much--You are all such an encouragement to me. You will never know how much you mean to me! Love and Miss you all! Can't wait to see you in a little over a month!

Update--

Hello everyone! So this weeks blog is being used to update everyone on my accident--since everyone has been asking what's happening..I thought this would be the easiest way to inform everyone! Sunday after church one of our good guy friends took us out of the city just to see some more of the area...We drove a few hours just to get into nature. We went to a beautiful place and were going to do some hiking. We had been there for about 30 minutes and decided to walk through a ravine--it was crazy slippery and I fell and hit my shoulder and face on a rock. I chipped my three front teeth and cut my chin pretty bad and bruised my jaw. We went to the emergency room where they x-rayed me just to make sure the jaw was ok and gave me 3 stiches in my chin. I am feeling ok...just really sore. Thankfully it wasn't any worse. I am going to the dentist on thursday for a consultation--hopefully that will go well and we can get my mouth fixed quickly! Thankfully I have 2 amazing teammates who have taken wonderful care of me! Thanks for all your prayers..I will update you next week on how everything goes!

Besides that fun accident..everything is great! I won't be going to the school or orphanage this week--but just pray that I will stay encouraged and the Lord will use this time to grow me in Him. We only have about 6 weeks left..so continue to pray that the Lord will use us in great ways! Love and miss you all!!

All Things with Prayer--

It has been another wonderful week! This week at the orphanage was a little sad--one of the boys that we have worked closely with for the past few weeks left to go back home. He lives with his grandparents and he just went to the orphanage for a few weeks to get regulated on his medicine. We didn't get to say bye to him so it was definitely a difficult day--but we know that he was excited to go back home. The school was also great this week--while we were there another organization that had a fund-raiser for the school came by with a donation--it was so awesome to see how the Lord is providing for this school! They still have such needs though--every week I am reminded of how much this education means for this children. It is giving them a chance for a future and also a sense of worth.

We had a wonderful weekend as a team--sunday we spent a few hours praying over things that we were all struggling with individually and things that we wanted to accomplish as a team. It was amazing. Just a few hours after we prayed over things the Lord answered a prayer that seemed impossible. Such a reminder of the power of prayer!!

We realized this week that we only have 7 weeks left--that seems impossible. The complex ministry is still a struggle-we are continuing to connect with the few women we have met..it is just still difficult. We know the Lord has a great plan and holds the future completely! We are just continuing to seek Him and His plan for the next few weeks!

The Lord is continuing to teach me so much! I can't wait to see what all He has in store over the next few weeks! Thank you all so much for your encouragement and prayers--they mean so much to me!! I love and miss you all!! See you in less than 2 months!

Setting my thoughts on Him--

This week was crazy!! We were back in full swing going to the orphanage and the school. The kids were amazing and so excited to see us-it was precious. Veronica, the lady over the school, took us to see the shanty town that some of the children come from. That was such a neat experience..getting to see where these children come from gave us an even bigger heart for them and their families--to just love on them and show them the love of Christ. It was definitely a wonderful week! Friday through Sunday I went to kids camp with the church we work with. It was amazing--the camp was out in the middle of nowhere. It was great--I felt like I was semi back at home. We spent time swimming and playing games outside. There were a few different sessions and worship services. I led a devotion group with some of the girls-it was great just to see the love these children have for the Lord and to see Him shining through them. It was also fun to get to know them a little more.

Now that we have passed the halfway point we are all having a few frustrations. We just know our time here is so short and want to be making the most of it. The apartment ministry is difficult--we are starting to connect with some ladies, but it's just a slow go--please continue to be praying for us as we seek the Lord's guidance in how to reach out to the people we live around.

Other parts of ministry are going so well--we are really starting to connect and build relationships with people at the church which is really encouraging.

Pray that we will continuously be a light to everyone around us.

The Lord is continuing to teach me so much--this week I have really been convicted to daily set my thoughts on Him--so many things can become distracting and not even necessarily bad things--just everyday thing. However, it is impossible for me to serve in the way I should be if my thoughts are not set on Him moment by moment. Pray that this week I will constantly be focused on Him.

Thank you all so much for your prayers!!! They mean so much to me! I love and miss you all!!! Thanks for the encouragement!!!

Half Way--

Hey everyone! This week officially marks the halfway point of my Hands-On experience--I can't believe it! Time has truly went by so quickly. It has been another great, but different week. We had alot of down time this week that God thankfully blessed and allowed us all to spend much needed time with Him, as well as connecting to with some of our neighbors and friends. We are continuing to slowly build relationships with people in the complex, which can be extremely frustrating on some days--but I am finding rest in the fact that God is in control and He knows them so much better than I do. I am just trying to be persistent in getting to know people and truly being interested in their lives.

This week is extremely full! We will be returning to the orphanage and school after two week of not getting to go--I am so excited! I have missed those sweet children so much! Tomorrow night we have bible study--then Thursday afternoon we are spending some time with Mandi, one of our neighbors and then going to a leadership seminar at church--Friday a friend from church is coming over for breakfast and then I will be heading out for a week of kids camp with the church! I am so excited! It is definitely going to be a wonderful week and I will have lots to update you all on next week!! Please continue to pray for opportunities in the complex--as well as the kids at the school and orphanage--and pray for the kids coming to camp this weekend!

The Lord is truly working in mighty ways--through big things and small things--He is teaching me so much through time with Him in His word, encouragement from other people, and the wonderful church we get to attend. I am so thankful that at this point in the trip I still have so many people sending me cards and messages--I am beyond blessed to have such amazing and loving people in my life! I miss you all and will see you in 2 months!!

Drawing Close to Christ

hey everyone! So sorry it's been two weeks since I have updated! Last tuesday we went to a cricket game with a group of people from church so we only had internet for about 20 minutes. It was a wonderful day, but I'm sorry I didn't get to update you all on what's been going on! The last two weeks have been so amazing, but there have been some trying moments. The kids at the school and orphanage are continuing to capture my heart every time I get to hang out with them! Last Wednesday I unfortunately wasn't feeling the best and since the kids are already sick, I can't really be around them when I'm not feeling great--I missed them so much, I can't wait til tomorrow when I get to hang out with them again! Aurora, the school we work with, is on break until next week..so we also didn't get to see them last week. It was weird not getting to go work with them and I definitely missed them, but the Lord used that spare time for me to really spend some intimate time with Him. With the business over the past few weeks I haven't got to spend the amount of time with Him that I needed to. It's so awesome to see His sovereignty in every situation--He knows exactly when I need to just sit and spend time in His word--He knows when I need encouragement from the people around me--He knows exactly when I need to be refreshed and He gives according to that. It was beyond amazing in the last week to get to spend some intentional time with my Father and see His plan for the nations and how I get the opportunity to play a part in that. I also am in the middle of reading radical--my awesome mom sent it to me! God is continuing to blow my mind with each page that I read--the scripture in that book is so challenging! God is definitely using it to open my eyes to His true plan!

We have had the opportunity to do some really cool things in the past few weeks though--we got to walk and feed full grown tigers and we got to go to a cricket game! Both of these were such cool experiences. Getting to spend time with the sweet girls the Lord has given me the opportunity to serve alongside over the next few months, as well as with the friends He has given us here was so refreshing and fun! Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement! I love and miss you all so very much!The Lord is doing amazing things here, as I'm sure He is at home! What a mighty God we serve--He deserves everything I have to give--I am being challenged to start living like that everyday! Almost to the halfway point--keep lifting us up in prayer!!!

In All I Do--

It's been another great week!! The kids at the orphanage and at the school are great-we are starting to feel like a part of the family there and it is great! They are so much fun-they have been trying to get us to say their names, which trust me is quite the task! They just laugh at us when we try to say them!

Game night tuesday night was tons of fun! We had about 12 people from church attend and one neighbor! We were so excited that someone showed up! Her name is Alex and we actually spent a few hours at her place with her and her boyfriend just talking and getting to know them. A relationship is truly starting to build there. They are interested in visiting the church with us. Continue to pray that relationship as well as others will start and continue to grow. At the orphanage on Wednesday, the little 9 year old boy I worked with last week was doing much better-he was sitting up on his own and looked much stronger. He still is very sick and has quite a long way to go to get better but is doing some better. The school was such a fun day--the kids are starting to really get comfortable around us which is so great. We are starting to build relationships with them which is great.

The Lord has been teaching me so many things since I've been here--this week in a book I'm reading the author was talking about how we need the Lord to get us through even the tasks we see as "everyday"--He challeneged me with whether or not I am doing everything as Jesus did when He was on the earth. From getting dressed in the morning, to ordering at a restraunt, to just the thoughts that go through my mind when something happens. My focus should always be on Christ and what His response would have been to a situation.

Please continue to pray for us as we build relationships--pray for the kids at the orphanage and the school and that we would know how best to serve--pray that my focus will be completely on Him and that I will be content in every situation. I love and miss you all! Thanks so much for checking my blog--thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

By His Strength

Well--I have officially been in Africa for over 5 weeks--that just seems beyond crazy to me! It is really beginning to feel like real life-which is great and a little scary at the same time. It has truly been an amazing and challenging week. I went to the orphanage and school for the first time last week--it was an experience that really can't be described in words. I had to depend on the strength of the Holy Spirit otherwise I would have fallen apart. Seeing those sweet kids faces at the orphanage was heartwarming, but saddening at the same. Knowing that they have a disease that they did nothing to get and that their life will be cut short. I held a 9 year old boy for the first two hours we were there. He weighed a little over 20 pounds--He is so sick and in so much pain. It was such a privilege to be able to give him some love and attention, but more than that he blessed my heart so much. It was difficult to see, but it is truly in moments like that the Lord reminds me that He is sovereign. Often times I don't understand the ways He works, but that is exactly why He is God and I am not. He is teaching me to find rest and peace in His Sovereignty--to truly accept it and be content in it. We live in such a fallen world and it is our responsibility as believers to shine the light of Christ everywhere we go and in everything we do.

The school was such a fun experience. Dawn and I helped out with the grade 1 and 2 classes--there are about 60 kids and 1 teacher. It was crazy to say the least! It was so fun just to be able to interact with these children and just play with them! The Lord is continuing to open my eyes to His plan for my life and where He wants me to be serving--He is showing me more and more everyday that as believers He has such a huge calling on our lives--we are called to serve the people around us--Missions is not just a trip or a job--but a lifestyle that the Lord has called us all to!

Please continue to be in prayer for these outreach opportunities the Lord has given us--Pray for outreach in our complex, we are having a game night tonight so pray that it would help us continue to build relationships! Pray that I would be open to where the Lord wants me to serve and in what ways! I love all of you so very much! It means so much to me that you read this and that you are praying for me! Please continue!!

The Plans He Has For Me--

What an amazing week it has been! We had the opportunity on Wednesday to visit an orphanage for HIV positive children that we will be working at. As soon as we arrived there I just had this wonderful peace that this was a place I needed to be working for the next few months--we will be working with some of the hospice children in the mornings and then working on homework and hanging out with kids in the afternoon--I am so beyond excited about going back tomorrow and working with them! I can't wait to get to know these sweet kids are share the love of Christ with them and I know that they will probably be more of a blessing to me than I could ever be to them. That night we had the opportunity to go to our cell group bible study and it was amazing! I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with a great and loving church family while I am away from my own. They truly make me feel at home and are such an encouragement. Thursday we went to Aurora which is a school started by a lady from the church we attend here. It is about 30 minutes from where we live--Children come from shanty and shack towns a few miles away to attend school here. They are getting an amazing education compared to what they would be getting in their actual towns--however there are still things they need. Please pray for the people who are over the school and that the Lord will provide for their needs in amazing ways. The kids are so great--I am so thankful that the Lord is allowing me to work in places that He has given me a heart for! The weekend was interesting because I was a little sick, but I'm feeling much better now! Sunday at church the Lord just laid on my heart that having compassion for people is just not enough--we must act on it. It's not enough to just realize that people are hurting and in need--I must act in love and allow the Lord to use me to minister to them in however He sees fit! This week has been such a blessing and I have been so encouraged, as well as overwhelmed by the need for Him everywhere I look--Please continue to pray for us as we start a game night for people in our complex and strive to build relationships there. I can't wait to see what all He is going to do over the next few months! Thank you all so very much for your prayers and encouraging e-mails and messages. The Lord has blessed me beyond belief with wonderful friends and family who constantly encourage me! I am so thankful for my wonderful parents who get up every tuesday morning at2:30 just to talk to me and my awesome best friends who woke up this morning at 4 and waited til the internet was working at 5 just so we could talk. I can't express to all of you how much I love you and how big a role you are playing in what the Lord is doing here. I am only as strong as the prayers of the people around me and I am so thankful that I am surrounded by y'all!!! And I promise that more pictures will be posted next week!!

Expectations--

hey everyone! I just got off skype with my parents, who woke up at 2:30am to talk to me--yeah they are pretty amazing! And they were telling me about how so many people have been asking about me and praying for me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much! I am so beyond blessed to have such amazing family and friends that support and encourage me daily--from your messages on facebook and on here--to your prayers! Thank you so much! You are playing such a huge part in what the Lord has called me to do.

It has been a great week. We met with the youth pastor and missions pastor from the church about different needs and areas we can get plugged in. Friday night we helped out with the youth at church--that was great! Getting to meet them and just sit and talk with them. Saturday we had a missions breakfast at church and that night we went to our first brii(which is like a barbeque) and watched a rugby game with some people from church! It was so much fun--great time to learn more about the culture and get to know these sweet people a little more. Sunday I started getting plugged in to the children's ministry at church--I will hopefully be getting to teach my own class for the rest of the term. This week is going to be super busy with going to orphanages and schools--bible studies and meetings at church and helping out with the youth! We are so excited to be starting to get a little busier.

The Lord has been teaching me so much since we got here--I think it's so cool that we these expectations about what the Lord is going to do and then He completely changes it. He truly used last week when we weren't so busy to draw me closer to Him--To teach me knew things about Himself. What an awesome God we serve! He knows our needs so much better than we do. I have been so challenged to live everyday with a purpose--even on the days when I feel like I'm not doing anything--the Lord ordained that day long ago for a specific purpose. Even though I may not see it--He has a reason for it. I know that He is going to use these next few months to teach me so many things about Himself and to open my eyes more and more to how to serve and minister to the people around me. He is reminding me more and more that I have one purpose in life and that is to bring glory to Him. It's not about me feeling like I have accomplished something--He doesn't need me at all. But I am so privileged that He allows me to be used. I am just constantly amazed at Him and His plan for my life! What an awesome privilege to be able to live a few months with only one goal--to share with people the love of Christ--that should be my expectation for everyday. Not that I will get to do something or that I will feel like I accomplished something--but my expectation for the day should be that God has an awesome plan and that whatever He has planned for the day will be accomplished!!

Please continue to pray for us! We will be adding a new member to our team today so please be in prayer for her! Also, Saturday will be the first day that we have entirely committed to outreach in our complex! Please pray that the weather will be warm and people will be outside! That doors will be opened for us to build relationships and share the love of Christ!

In the World but not of It

First of all--thank you all for your prayers--everytime I talk to my family they tell me how everyone is asking about me and praying for me! I can't tell you how much that means! Well, I have been in South Africa for almost a week and the Lord is teaching me lots of things, some lessons I didn't exactly think I was going to learn while I was here..but His ways are so much better than my own.

This trip is definitely different than any mission trip I've ever been on. We are in a city surrounded by anything we could want. Groceries stores, a mall, restraunts, movie theaters, bowling alleys, pretty much anything you could think of. I will be completely honest and tell you that it has been a frustrating few days. We have two parts of our job--first to work with the local church getting involved with their ministries and then building relationships with our neighbors. We did get to go to the church we will be working with on sunday and it was great! We are meeting with the missions pastor tomorrow to talk about what ministry opportunities we want to get involved with. The second part of our job is extremely difficult--we are just supposed to build relationships with people and over the next few months share with them the love of Christ. The only problem is it's cold here and most people aren't out. We have been walking around and prayer walking in our complex--just praying for the Lord to move in a big way! I know that He has me here for a specific purpose--I am slowly learning to completely trust in Him and to know that He is holding me in His hand--He has a purpose and It will be accomplished. This beginning process of meeting people and getting involved in things is just difficult--I want to jump in and get started with everything, but I'm learning to be patient and wait on His timing.

The Lord has challenged me to see that missions should not just be a trip or a few months--it should be a lifestyle. How many times when I'm at home do I go weeks without sharing the love of Christ with someone and it doesn't bother me at all?? Yet, when I'm here I am upset if I go a few hours without getting to share with someone--that should be my focus everyday of my life. No matter where I am. The Lord is teaching me so much about His timing and His plan. I am learning how to be surrounded by the things of this world, but not being involved in them--How to keep my focus on Christ even when I have so many distractions around me. Please be praying for our apartment complex-that people will be open to hearing about the love of Christ--that we will be able to build relationships with people and plug them into the local church. Pray that we will get involved in the exact ministries the Lord wants us to over the next 4 months. I know that He has big things in store--pray that I will be patient and find ways to serve the Lord while I'm waiting! Love you all and I'll update next week!

Our Day at Church!

As you probably assume after no internet for a week, we were all up pretty late last night talking with our family and friends! It was totally worth the lack of sleep, but needless to say we were pretty exhausted when we woke up this morning. We woke up and got ready to head out to church with different missionary families. We knew we were going to African churches therefore we wouldn't be able to understand what was going on. Honestly, I didn't start off the day with the best attitude. However, as always the Lord showed me something amazing through the day. We got to the hut where we would be having church and the sweet pastor came out and greeted us. The service was amazing--the missionaries translated for us so we would know what was going on. We sang songs, prayed for the people of their nation, then the children had a time where they memorized scripture--it was truly inspiring! The dedication they have to the Word is amazing-they just soak it up, since they don't have a bible this is the one time during the week they get to learn the Word of God! It was amazing! Then the pastor preached on how we are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind--It was really challenging. I should constantly be praising God in all I do and thanking Him for all I have. Not just the big things, but the simple things like having the strength to eat and drink! He is such a mighty God and deserve all we have! It was definitely a great morning--can't wait to see what the rest of the day holds!! Love y'all!

These pics are from the church, the kids at church, and different shots of the city!

I'm finally here!

Wow! The months of planning and preparation have finally paid off! I'm here! It is beyond crazy. The last few days have been quite the experience--we have been in orientation since monday so lots of meeting and such, but I did get the opportunity to go shopping in the market and last night we spent the night with an african family. It was amazing but extremely challenging--Just to see the way they live and be immersed in it is extremely overwhelming. Their physical needs broke my heart, but so much more than that their need for the love of Christ. I can't imagine being in that situation without the eternal hope and joy that Christ gives to His children. I have learned so much in the past week--learning to be completely dependent on Christ--learning to be ok with silence (since the family I stayed with last night spoke zero english!)--my heart has just been more and more broken for the people of this world who don't know Christ. My eyes have been opened so much to the need for laborers in the field--it truly is ripe with harvest--but as believers we must count the cost and harvest the field--We have been called to live a life of service and sacrifice--how often do I do that? The Lord has taught me so much just in this first week of being here. I am so thankfully for all of the prayers--they along with the awesome power of the Holy Spirit have gotten me through the difficult moments! I love you all so much! Please continue to pray for our team as we all go our separate ways! We head out from here on Wednesday and I will arrive in South Africa on Thursday! Pray for the people of Johannesburg that we will be able to minister to them effectively and that the Lord will do a great work that only He will get the glory for!

The Day is Here!

Well--July 31 has finally arrived! I feel like I've been waiting for this day forever! What an amazing few weeks the Lord has blessed me with. I had the chance to visit some of my friends in Mobile--go to the river for a few days and relax with the Garner's--got to spend some awesome time with my own family and then my wonderful Mobile friends came to visit!! The Lord has blessed me in so many ways with so many amazing people that I can't imagine my life without--and I got to see most of them at my awesome surprise party they had for me--Basically my family and friends lied to me the entire week..but it was totally worth it:) I got the chance to see and say goodbye to sweet friends. I honestly could not be doing this without each and everyone of you. You're prayers and encouraging notes are what are getting me through and helping me each step of the way. It has been a tiring day so far--After the party last night I hung out at my house with my awesome family and most of my amazing Mobile friends(you know who you are!) It was amazing--we watched some FWC, which the boys enjoyed oh so much--and we finally went to sleep around 1:30--then I got up and got ready at 3--said goodbye to some people I love a whole lot--went to the airport at 4--said bye to my mom and dad--flew to charlotte--then to NYC--and now I am hanging out with 2 of the other Hands-On girls waiting for everyone to get here and our flight at 8! I can't wait to get a few hours of sleep!

I'm not really sure when I'll get to write again--it may be a few weeks! But know that I love you all and I can feel your prayers! Thank you so much for them! I cannot wait to see what amazing things the Lord is going to do! Thank you for being a part of His plan!

Consuming Fire--

Sorry it's been a while! Life has been crazy! The last three weeks have been packed--first VBS, then Kid's Camp, then at the beach for youth camp----I just haven't had a chance to update! Things are continuing to go well--Just finalizing Visa apps and actually starting to get more info on what we are going to be doing and where we will be living! We will be working directly with Edenvale Baptist Church in Johannesburg--and basically building relationships with people and praying for a chance to share Christ's love with them! I am beyond excited and it is growing day by day! I have been praying so hard for the Lord to teach me lessons and help me to grow before I leave--tonight in my bible study I read a verse I have read numerous times..but tonight it hit me like never before--HEBREWS 12:29--FOR OUR GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE-- wow!! I was just blown away! I just kept reading it over and over! Why do I not allow God to consume my life? As many of you know..a few months ago my dad's business burned completely to the ground(thank God everything is now back up and running!) However..after seeing picture and hearing about it--things happened so fast. By the time they knew what was happening, it was too late to save or do anything about it. Why can this not be true of my relationship with Christ? He should consume my heart, my thoughts, my actions, my words, my behavior--every aspect of my life! So I asked myself..what am I holding back? What part of my life am I not allowing God to consume? My entire life should be taken over by the love of Christ!

The Desires of Your Heart

So..if you know me at all or have been around me for just a few minutes, chances are you know that I love Africa! I love everything about it--I would love to pick up right now and move there for who knows how long--I want to adopt kids from there--I love the people, the simplicity of life, and their longing for something more. Since I was 15 I have longed to go, to live their, and to share with them a love from a Father that can meet all of their needs and longings. This was really hard for some people to understand, seeing that until about 2 years ago I had never even been! But if the Lord has ever placed something like this on your heart--you understand completely.

When I started the process of Hands-On(who I'm going with in the fall)--my mind and heart was only set on Africa. When choosing a job description and location I only looked at Africa--that was all I was interested in and all that I ever had been. I looked and looked and just could not decide a top 3..I just didn't have a peace about it at all. And then the Lord just hit me over the head with it--"Courtney..people everywhere need to hear of My Love.." wow..how could I be so closed off..I felt so selfish. All this time, I had only been looking at what I wanted. I wasn't allowing the Lord to lead me. I was simply choosing my own path. At that moment I started looking at other jobs in other place. Believe it or not, my first choice ended up being a home for young girls in Bangladesh! No where near Africa. And I honestly was so excited about it---I researched the city, learned about the people, the customs, and the religions.

The process of finding out was extremely long--as any of my closest friends can tell you! I checked my e-mail a million times a day--probably annoyed the IMB with a million emails asking when I was going to find out! I was going crazy with waiting!

One weekend I was home, I randomly went to check my e-mail and there it was. I was going to South Africa! I was beyond shocked! I was not expecting it at all! As time went by, the Lord revealed so much to me. The Lord specific desires on our heart for a reason--He doesn't want us to be unhappy! However, often times I believe that He simply wants us to surrender COMPLETELY to His calling. Not just the part we are comfortable with or the part we are expecting. It was as if He was saying to me--I just wanted to test you..I wanted to see if you were willing to open the plans I have for you--no matter what they are! Through this I was brought to Psalm 37:4--Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart!

He simply wants us to be willing to go wherever He leads us! What a mighty God we serve! A God who keeps His promises and loves to delight His children!

Facing Insecurities

In preparation for my trip, a friend of mine suggested that I read "The Missionary Call." It's a great book about all different aspects of the mission field and right now I am on the section about hindrances to the call. I have really been praying lately that the Lord would open my eyes to the things I need to change and work on to be better prepared for July 31. I know that I am so completely unworthy and not at all at the place I need to be; however, I know that in my weakness He is made strong. So..the Lord definitely spoke to me through this section of the book--one part in particular said that it is so easy to hide and overlook your insecurities when you are being distracted by the things of this world. It is easy in America to get busy with all the things we have and not deal with our inner struggles. I've never really thought about it in that way--how often do I turn to Katherine, Jess, or Kassidy when I am having a problem? Do I go to them first or do I go to the Lord first?? It's so easy to find a distraction, such as a movie or tv show or even reading a book, so that I don't have to deal with my struggles.

After the Lord revealed this to me last night, I was just amazed by how He answers prayers! He has showed me many things that I need to deal with before I leave. I have got to continue striving to find my contentment in Him and only in Him. He is the only one that will always be there for me and will never lead me astray. I am so thankful to have an amazing Father who is always there for me! Please continue to pray for me as I prepare! I need them and appreciate them more than you will ever know! Please pray that I go to Him first and that I deal with my insecurities instead of being distracted by the things of this world.