Rachel's Reflections

2 ½ weeks, 3 camps, 20+ team members, language and culture learning, lots of work = a great recipe for good friendships to form. Elina is my closest friend and really acted as an older sister to me during the camps. She taught me how to wash my clothes by hand and made sure I knew what was happening and where I needed to be. We were able to work together in the cafeteria for the first two camps and I do not think I could have done it without her patience and kindness. Mattheus is my favorite little boy. He was just adopted by one of the missionary families and I fell in love with him. He and I would spend time together whenever we could. He loves to play with water. His favorite phrase is “senta la” (sit there) and he would pat a place next to him for me to sit at. Catarina was only there for two of the three camps but I really appreciated getting to spend time with her and talking with her. Her and her boyfriend really want to become missionaries. I’m hoping to spend more

Looking into the mirror of time I can see myself sitting on this same bed, in the same room, inside the the heart of Maputo during the month of April. But as any mirror reflection is not the same as the real object so the image of myself in that reflection is very different from who I am today.  Then I was spiritually dry ... Since then my life has become saturated with God's Word. Then I was struggling to place my focus in the right place .. Since then God has taught me to focus on Him first and place Him at the center of my life.  Then I did not know how to feed myself spiritually ... Since then God has shown me different ways to grow spiritually.  Then everything in Maputo was new: people, language, city, culture, ministry, everything ... Now I know people, I am beginning to know the language, the culture, and the city.  How different I feel. But looking in the mirror of time has shown me how much God has blessed these last few months.  Ministry : Word of Life Mozambiq

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving on the Word of Life South Africa property with about 50 people (staff, students, and family members). It was a great day, great food, and great people to spend it with. Sadly this was one of my last days with everyone. I leave early Monday morning for Mozambique, saying goodbye to all I have known here for almost a year. I have grown close to so many people, it is hard to say goodbye. I am thankful for... ... My year in South Africa. This country is very diverse and filled with many cultures.What a privilege to have called this home for almost a year.  ... The students I have lived, worked, and learned with and from. I am so proud of them, for all the hard work they have put into this year and have watched them grow closer to the Lord and each other.  ... The interns and staff I have worked alongside of and learned from.  ... The ministries I have been able to be involved in over the course of this year. The people I have met and the experiences I

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37:4-7 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 This week has been an emotional roller coaster. But in the midst of it God has been there constant and steady. These verses are such a great reminder to me and calm my heart before the Lord. I can trust Him because He is God, He is in control, and He does not change. He is the same today as He has always been and He will continue to be so.  I cannot believe that my year in South Africa is coming to a close. I only have one week left before I say my goodbyes and head across to Mozambique. Next Saturday we will be celebrating Thanksgiving with all of the Word of Life South Africa staff and students and then I leave the following Monday.  So many new friends

I am back in Jo'burg now, but I had a wonderful time in Durban. One of my primary purposes in being there  was to connect with Isabel and be an encouragement to her. She is a youth leader at Bethany Church but is originally from Angola (the one I practiced Portuguese with) and sometimes lacks confidence in herself and ability to speak in public. Last weekend I stayed in her home and felt immediately a part of that family. Isabel and I had several great conversations and were able to encourage one another in the Lord. She is a beautiful young lady, and is growing in her relationship with the Lord. I hope that I was as much a blessing to her as she was to me.  I said goodbye to her Sunday evening but little did I know that God still had something planned. I arrived back in Jo'burg by bus on Tuesday and while waiting for my ride I met Tshepi who was on her way to Durban. I am ashamed to say I did not share the gospel with her then, but we did exchange contact information. The

"Neverless, not my will but Your will be done" (Luke 22:42) This was my prayer all week because I asked to go back to Durban  again. I had several reasons for asking, but also knew there were benefits for staying in the Jo'burg area. Since both were good options I prayed this prayer, put in my request, and left the results with God.  When I found out the answer was a "Yes" to come back to Durban I knew it was because God wants me here. I arrived back in Durban yesterday afternoon. I am excited to be here to connect better with people, be an encouragement to them, and be able to practice my Portuguese more. I will be staying with the Hawkins for about two weeks and already have been blessed. I spent time in the home of Portuguese speakers from Angola yesterday and was able to practice a lot with Isabel who was very patient with me. At youth last night I filled in for one of the small group leaders and two of the girls had lots of deep questions. Tod

During SMASH, while I was listening to one of the messages, a verse came to mind that was totally unrelated to the message and everything else I had thought of, read, or listened to that week. As it popped into my mind though I immediately realized it summarized some of my thoughts of late.  Romans 15:20-21 "and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, 'Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.'”  I've known for a while that I will be a full-time missionary for the rest of my life, or as long as God allows me to. This year in South Africa and Mozambique has only affirmed that deeper into my heart and mind. Going on SMASH, participating in weekly ministries, learning a language, all these things are preparing and drawing my heart towards this calling.  I do not know where I will end up or in

21  people on the SMASH team (youth + leaders) 136 children registered for Holiday Bible Club (HBC) 40+ Salvations! Everyone here wecolmed me with open arms and hearts and made this week so wonderful. We traveled 3 hrs south of Durban where we served a church in Kokstad by running a Holiday Bible Club in the morings and helping with several projects for them in the afternoons.  I helped with the little kids,  grades R-2, during HBC. They were cute kids and even though they did not all speak English they were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Their eyes sparkled with laughter as they watched Captain Crash try to apply the Bible lesson and their smiles lit up as they sung and danced to the songs. I know what they learned this past week will stick with them and encourage them. Along with working alongside the youth during the afternoon projects I also got to help Aunty Mary in the kitchen for dinner and breakfast all week and oversaw the meal crews. Cindy : Monday morning I was i

S tudents M inistering A nd S erving H im in Durban As God deepens my desire for Him I get to see Him do the same in the hearts and lives of the teens participating in the mission's trip down in Durban, South Africa. I will step onto a bus in Johannesburg Friday morning (Sep 30) and step off in the coastal city of Durban. I will be traveling with Quillan, one of the DTC students, and joining the Word of Life staff down there to help them lead the trip.  This is an opportunity for me to apply the many lessons God has been teaching me recently:  In my Dynamics of Discipleship class I'm learning how to have deeper conversations and draw people closer to the Lord.  My General Psychology professor asked how understanding who I am (personality strengths and weaknesses) can impact my ministry involvement.  While reading  The Pursuit of God I've been challenged about spending my first waking hours with God in His Word and in prayer.  Flexibility - a common theme thi

...through a Spring Braai (aka barbecue/grill) Activities for all ages with a family picnic atmosphere, it was an enjoyable day filled with relationship building. Over 200 people from various churches came through the Word of Life South Africa property during the course of the day last Saturday. They participated in sports, board games, minute-to-win games, swimming, face-painting, crafts, and more . After lunch was served everyone sat together to listen to the gospel message given by Uncle Dwight.  My primary roles were to oversee the pool area and help facilitate the crafts but my secondary purpose was to build into Palesa ’s and Mpho ’s lives. These girls do not understand who God is or that He is able to save them from their sins through the payment made by Jesus death on the cross. I wanted to take advantage of the day by building another bridge into their lives that they might glimpse the love of Christ and the hope and joy found in Him. They are still closed off to the gos

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."  A.A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh) Thursday my friend Macy left South Africa permanently to start her internship in Uganda. Saying goodbye to her was hard, but it reminded me of how much God has blessed both of us through our friendship.  When we arrived together in South Africa in January in my mind we were casual friends, but to her we were mere acquintances. Little did we know at that time how closely God would knit our hearts to each other. The experiences and memories we have shared together only dim in comparison to how much we have grown in our relationship with the Lord through the other person. Through thick and thin, through trials and triumphs, through tears and smiles she has been a dear friend. Never afraid to tell me like it is, always excited about something she has learned from God's Word, and bringing a vibrant joy to my life. I will miss her terribly but know she is where God wants h

Story Time:  The week I stayed with the Silva's I learned and grew a lot in my Portuguese. The highlight of the week was being able to tell them a funny story about my brother and I when we were younger ALL IN PORTUGUESE! It was a huge blessing to put months of practice to use and enjoy a new level of fellowship with my host family. I also had the privilege of sharing my testimony in Portuguese twice for discipleship groups with young ladies. Triechardt School:  Life-Saving, Soul-Satisfying Faith was the 3-part message I got to share with the Grade 11 girls at Triechardt school on Wednesday mornings. It was such a joy to watch them learn more about God. Next year I will have this privilege of pouring into a grade of girls every Wednesday morning,  (*Triechardt is an English school) . I am really looking forward to this opportunity.  One Friday afternoon I had the chance to talk to Miriam, one of the girls I know from camp in April. It was a great time of encouraging her. I a

Tent Camps Passionate music, bucket showers, sleeping on the ground, cold nights, warm hearts, dancing, no English, heaping plates of rice with whole fish, thatch/bamboo church buildings, curious children, and very receptive people.  Just a few things to describe what the two tent camps were like that I helped with here in Mozambique. Very different from everything else I have done so far but one of my favorites by far. I loved experience a whole new side of the ministry and be deeply immersed in the African culture. God worked in the hearts and lives of the youth who attended. Several placed their trust in Jesus Christ and others were further challenged in their walk with the Lord. Sometimes I felt like a bystander because of the language but I count it a privilege to have been a part of God's plan.  (pictures to come at a future date) Portuguese Praise the Lord for His help in learning Portuguese! I have been stretched, especially this past week and though it was hard an

"Oh btw I have a mazing news ," Alexandra messaged me after I told her I was back in her city of Maputo, MZ last week.  "Can you tell me now or do I have to wait till I see you?" I asked. The next minute she called to tell me something that shocked me to the core and humbled me tremendously. I met Alexandra at camp back in April. S he kept telling me all about her plans to go to boarding school in South Africa next year. I could tell it meant a lot to her so I tried to be happy, but inside I was sad; we would be trading places, I would be moving to MZ from SA and she would be moving from MZ to SA. On the phone she reminded me of all this, making me sad again but then her tone changed.  "Remember... Well, I asked my mom if I could stay in MZ one more year so I can spend more time with you and she said yes!!!" (wow, I'm tearing up even now as I write this a week later. I still can't believe it). I was (still am) blown away, shocked, and humbl

"Rachel, you are helping with the Grade 2 boys."  I was told on Monday morning. My face must have exposed my shocked reaction because the people around laughed at me. I was not prepared for that particular position while helping at Sandton Bible Church's Holiday Bible Club this past week. But looking back I have enjoyed every morning of interacting with the seven boys in my group: Daniel, Quinn, Ethan, Zakiya, Eden, Kewan, and Nathan. Daniel has a beautiful smile, Zakiya a sensitive soul, Ethan and Quinn love fun, Eden is quiet and gentle, and Nathan is bubbly; I loved talking to each one of them and pray they remember the lessons and verses they learned.  Theme: Mission 3:16  - Every day we learned about a major world religion using the acronym THUMB to help us remember. T - Tribal H - Hinduism U - Unreligious M - Muslim B - Buddhism  The kids enjoyed the continuing skit portraying the battle between the good guys fighting for the Truth and the bad guys

School Holiday  - South Africa schools are now on holiday break which means our weekly ministries are on hold. Our Discipleship Training Center students are also on break now, as of yesterday, and will not start their third term until August 1. It will be quiet without them here on property with us and I will miss them.  Sleepover - To celebrate the end of term two we had a sleepover with all the girls last night. It was a great time fellowshipping and bonding with them. I appreciated the quality time even more since I will not have time like that with them until I return from Mozambique mid-August, even though I will still see them a little next week in the mornings. (side note: I will be going into MZ from July 17 till around August 17, but more on that later).  HBC - I will be helping at Sandton Bible Church's Holiday Bible Club next week during the mornings with all of our students. HBC's are basically like Vacation Bible Schools in the U.S. with Bible stories, games,

Youth Day - Thursday, June 16, was a national holiday in South Africa to remember those who died in the student uprising of 1976, during Apartheid. To commemorate this event we all went to see the film, Sarafina, that portrays what the struggle was like for the people living under those suppressive times. It was a good history lesson for me to learn and much to ponder over in my mind. Neither side handled things perfectly.  Without God humanity is lost, sinful, and wicked. Apart from the love of Christ we do not treat others as they deserve. Every human being is made in God's image and deserves respect, no matter who they are.  Before the movie started Connie and I were walking with our arms around each others shoulders. I noticed people looking at us. How ironic; even on the day set aside to honour the youth who died in the struggle for freedom racism still exists. But how wonderful to be part of God's family where there are no differences. I have been blessed by my r

My cousin Lisa came and visited me for a week! How exciting and wonderful to have her here with me and show her a little of what I do. She arrived on a Tuesday and stayed until the following Wednesday. The night she arrived I was in charge of making cookies for a Pastor's Luncheon the following day. She joined right in and made some delicious cookies that all the pastors and their wives enjoyed that Wednesday. Several other times throughout the week she helped with the baking and cooking and enjoyed it.  We went to the children's ministry in Zandspruit together on Thursday afternoon. The kids loved her. Friday evening we went to Sandton youth. Sunday morning we took taxis into Johannesburg with Connie, Grace, DK, and Paulo and visited Hillbrow Church. This month is youth month and the youth of that church led the entire service. After church two of the ladies prepared a traditional African meal for us (phuti, stew, and amasi) which tasted really good. We were very thankful fo

Yesterday was Word of Life South Africa's third annual Women of Worth Conference. The focus was Lydia, a lady mentioned in the book of Acts. From her life we learned about Christian Time Management, Christian Hospitality, and Christian Service, all things Lydia is mentioned for.  All this week we were in preparation mode, baking biscuits, cooking chicken, cutting vegetables, gathering up decorations, and making bookmarks. More than 100 women came from churches around the Johannesburg area. Thandeka and Vinolia, the ladies Macy and I met ice skating a few weeks ago, came to the conference! Macy and I were so excited to see them again and enjoy the conference together. At the end they told us they really enjoyed it and were encouraged by the three speakers. Vinolia asked a question that caught me off guard, and could not give a satisfactory answer on the spot. I really want to follow up more with her, maybe meet her in the city for a lunch date or something. She seems really open t

Youth Leader Conference: Today we hosted between 50-60 people on property for a youth leader conference. Mike Calhoun was our speaker, he and his wife Betsie arrived from the States yesterday morning and are here for two weeks speaking at various churches and events. I sat under three of his classes at the Bible Institute in New York. He has years of experience in youth ministry and was able to offer a lot of encouragement to the youth leaders who came. I enjoyed listening as well as serving in the kitchen with Abbie, Aunt Christy, and Macy.  Portuguese: "I need to work on speaking Portuguese no matter how uncomfortable and awkward it is." I told Paulo on Tuesday.  He replied with something in Portuguese and I had to think about what he said before I could even begin to answer in Portuguese.  "This is like the delay you get when talking on Skype sometimes," he said as he laughed. We conversed like that in Portuguese for about 30 minutes with simple phrases lik

Evangelism on Ice: Not what you would expect to read from Africa, I know, but take the opportunities God gives to you. As a special treat a group of us went ice skating last Saturday at a nearby mall. My friend Macy noticed someone struggling and offered to help her, I came along the other side of her and we taught her how to ice skate. Vinolia is a university student and it was her first time trying to ice skate. We found out she had come with her friend Thandeka, who also needed help learning. While taking a break Macy started sharing the gospel with them and I joined in to offer illustrations and to support what Macy was saying. While they had a basic understanding of the Bible the simplicity of the gospel was new to them. I can confidently say Thandeka understood and is now sure of her salvation but I am a little less sure of Vinolia. We have been following up with them throughout this week and have invited them to come to the Women's Conference Word of Life South Africa is ho

City Life : I have made a lot of adjustments in the last two weeks while living in the city of Maputo. My ears are getting used to hearing Portuguese everywhere, even if I don't normally understand. I have gotten used to looking out of windows from several stories up and seeing cars, buildings, and people everywhere. I know my way around some parts of the city and have walked to a few close places by myself. I am becoming familiar with the Word of Life ministry here, participating with what I can. I love the four missionary families who live here and have now stayed in each home. I have visited three different churches, two of them mixed Portuguese and Shangana.     Triechardt School : The youth I met at camp earlier this month all attend Triechardt School. I have had the chance to go visit them at school four times since being back in Maputo. I had several great follow up conversations, answering quetions and trying to be a light and reminder of what they learned about God at ca

Camp:  I spent a week and a half at youth camp on the beach by the Indian Ocean in XaiXai province (April 4-13). Grades 6-9 arrived on a Monday and I got my first cabin of girls: Alexandra, Vania, Andrea, Laura, and Shanese. Alexandra and I grew very close and we are planning to meet next week so I can encourage her spiritually and she can show me around Maputo. Farah was a girl on the yellow team I co-led with Jabu; she and I are planning a time where we can see each other again to build a better relationship. It was very hard to say goodbye when the grades 6-9  campers left but we welcomed the grades 10-12 campers just a few hours later. At first I was very intimidated by them but God taught me to open up to them and be honest, genuine, and transparent. I had three girls in my cabin from that group: Chelsea, Shantell, and Thandiwe, they were quiet most of the time but asked very good questions. Both groups had a lot of fun, playing games, singing, swimming, hanging out, and most impo

Mozambique camp: Tomorrow morning I leave for Mozambique!!! I'm really excited for the chance to go meet the Word of Life team there and get involved in the ministry going on that side. A team from South Africa is going to help with two weeks of camps that the Mozambique team is running for children and youth. I know most everyone on the team and look forward to the bonding experience. After the two weeks of camp the South African team will head back, leaving me behind in Maputo. Maputo: I will live with Uncle Carlos and Mama Zeza in a guest room in their apartment until May 1. My time with them will be spent getting familiar with the ministry and working on my Portuguese. I will get to help them with a ladies conference and shadow Mama Zeza during her mentoring meetings.  Prayer: Please pray that God will give me courage to speak Portuguese despite fear of mistakes, embarrassing myself, get laughed at, and corrected many times.  (This last week was packed with school work

Communion plays a significant part in my salvation testimony because I pretended to "get saved" just so I could eat this "snack." Thankfully the Lord convicted me of my sinfulness a few years later and I was saved at the age of 8. Partaking in communion yesterday, during the Good Friday service at Lawley Family Fellowship, reminded me of God's graciousness in the midst of my sinfulness. Jesus, God's one and only Son, was willing to suffer so much pain and humiliation in my place so He could offer me the gift of eternal life, and anyone else who accepts it. I know I am a daughter of the King (John 1:12) and I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I will spend eternity with Him in Heaven.  I have confidence in this because of what happended 2,000 years ago, and you can too. Our remembrance of His death on Good Friday and our celebration of His resurrection on Easter Sunday are equally important. Every day of a Christian's life should be lived out in light

Salvations: At our KHS ministry  this last Tuesday evening Jabu gave a very clear presentation of the gospel. The messages from the last few weeks have been building up to it, presenting man's need lost state in sin and the need for something more in life. When Jabu finished we broke up into small groups and gave the students a chance to respond to the message. Praise the Lord for the many who trusted in Jesus to save them from their sins for the first time! One girl, named Ashley, wasn't even supposed to stay the whole time but she desperately wanted to. She got permission to stay for the whole thing and was one of those who trusted in Christ as her Savior. This is the end of students first term for school so we will not get the chance to see them for several weeks. Praying that God will strengthen them in their faith and draw them closer to Him.  Visas:  Exciting news, after a loooooooong wait Caleb and Ashley will finally be able to join us in South Africa this week!  Ash

Apartheid Museum -  I walked around a corner in the middle of the museum and before my eyes was a room containing 103 rope nooses hanging from the ceiling. Each noose represented a life of a young person taken for participating in the student uprising in 1976. I went numb. WHY?! Why would one group of people treat another group so horribly based on racial differences? How could they? Immediately following this room was a short documentary filled with images of young people getting beat up and shot, I cried at some of the sights. Later I saw the Hector Pieterson memorial, he was only 13 years old but he was one of the first victims of the violent response to the student protests. His memorial stands today as a reminder to South Africa of its past, the flowing water is a symbol of the tears the country shed. My emotions were so mixed up the whole day but now I have a new perspective on every day life here and the people I interact with.  Community - This weekend I had the privilege

Ministry:  I am teaching the lesson next week at Zandspruit! Please pray for me as I prepare both the lesson and my heart for this opportunity. While most of the kids speak English some of the younger kids are still learning it and do better in their own language so I will probably have an interpreter to help.  ( Never stop helping or teaching others) Manual driving: Excitement! My practice has been officially put to the test. I have practiced my manual (stick) driving a few times since landing in South Africa on January 20 but only on our dirt road where it is safe. This last Wednesday I got to take the manual car out on the main road and I was super happy. :) I still have areas to work on: my right foot needs practice gently pushing down on the accelorator at the same time my left is easing up on the clutch so I don't stall, I need to be able to change gears without looking, and I need to make better use of the e-brake when at a stop. Driving on the left side felt perfectly

Rain: I do not like rainy days normally, I much prefer the sun, but I was thankful for it on Thursday because of the unexpected opportunity. We arrived for ministry at Zandspruit like the other Thursday afternoons but this time there were no kids greeting our vehicle. The rain had caused all of them to stay in their little class areas which meant each teacher taught the lesson to their own class. I got placed as a helper with the cute grade 2's :) The teacher did an excellent job explaining the importance of the Word of God and the kids really seemed to listen and understand. Afterwards she opened it up to questions and one boy raised his hand "the devil and God are not the same." After making sure he was making a statement and not a quetion she asked why they are not the same. A little girl responded in all innocence "because they are not friends." It made me smile at the honesty and simplicity of her reasoning.  KHS:  I continue to love the ministry at KHS

KHS Ministry: Neo was the only grade 10 girl in my small group on Tuesday night but I think God had a reason for that. We just briefly introduced ourselves and then started talking about the message Jabu had shared from Joshua 24:14-22 and Ecclesiastes 12:1. "Choose this day whom you will serve;" Neo said she chose the Lord but I felt I needed to pursue that thought and go deeper. I discovered she she is taught that you get into heaven by doing good works. I quoted "all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" for her but couldn't remember the reference. We talked about it and then looked at John 3:16 and Ephesian 2:8-10. We are only saved by believing in Jesus and what He did on the cross, not good works. Our good works are simply the way we show God thank you after He has saved us and to build a relationship with Him.  I could tell she was thinking hard about it but would need time. At the end I told her our homework for the week was to find the verse

Passion Concert: What a privilege I had last night of attending the Passion concert in Pretoria with our Discipleship Training Center students and staff. It was amazing to worship the Lord with 45,000 other people in the Loftus rugby stadium. Louie Giglio spoke on Tetelestai; which is the Greek word for "it is finished." This was the last word Jesus spoke as He was hanging on the cross. Jesus was saying that religion, sin and it's power, shame, and self were finished, done for, He had completed them and in Him they no longer matter. He even gave an invitation at the end and many people trusted Christ as their Savior! After this we sang the song "Even so come" which was my favorite song of the night because I'm so excited for the day when Jesus returns and I can be in His presence.  Zandspruit: On Thursday afternoon I went to a ministry center in the Zandspruit community where we spoke to over 100 children about running the race for Christ (1 Corinthi

Taxi: Last Sunday I went to church with Thobile and in order to get there we rode the taxi system. One on the way there and two on the way back; I was the only white person on all the taxis. After the last taxi dropped us off Thobile and I still had to walk Larsen's  road to get back to property. I enjoyed the time spent with Thobile and the conversation we were able to have about culture.  Students: The students are here! :) I have three roommates: Abbie is an intern with me, K.T. is a fun, outgoing student, and Connie is a sweet, quiet student. We've had some great conversations already and I'm looking forward to the year ahead with them.  Uncle John, our director, spoke from Hebrews 10 our first night together; the take away was to draw near (to God), hold on , and spur one another towards love and good works . Cooking: One of my main tasks this week was to help with meal prep. I had fun making Bunny chow, samp and beans, pasta salad, and chicken, rice, and squ

Cheetah lesson: On Thursday I had the wonderful privilege of seeing one of my dreams come true - petting a cheetah. Anabele is a beautiful animal made by the Creator God and I thank Him for this blessing. His sovereignty is incredible; He can hold the entire universe together and orchestrate every single detail - from big to small. The Lord has brough me to South Africa to serve alongside the Word of Life staff here and still He cares about me enough to add this small detail of petting a cheetah; which I did not deserve. How Great is our God! Work projects: All week we were busy getting everything ready for the Discipleship Training Center (DTC) students arrival on January 31 (tomorrow). The Word of Life property added on three new rooms that we painted and assembled bunk beds in while the guys installed the showers, sinks, and drain system. I wish we had taken before and after pictures to show how much of a difference all that hard work made. I look forward to welcoming the ne

Wow, what a wonderful last few days. Macy Ford and I flew out of Albany, New York Tuesday morning (Eastern time) and made it to Johannesburg, South Africa Wednesday evening (this time). I already feel so at home. The people here are very welcoming and friendly. I've made many friends (Kodani, Fortunate, Thobsela, and others) and gotten involved in ministry and work projects. I am learning to be a learner of the culture, customs, language, ministry, and most importantly of God.  I love the weather (it's warm, not cold and snowy) and the landscape is beautiful. We got put right to work, assembling bunk beds, making supper, helping with the children and youth at churches, and other random assignments. Tomorrow I will be going to church with Luke and Erin Lacey.  Learning to: build relationships with other people. Put yourself out there and be a blessing in someone else's life. Don't be focused on self or comfort. 

Word of Life Missions Conference is in full swing. We have first year students, second year students, CCI interns, Canadian students, and alumni all back to here God's Word from a missions perspective. Last night was the first session and our speaker was the regional director of South America. He spoke in Spanish while Chris Stout translated for him. Both men are passionate about God's Word and reaching other people with the gospel.  Today I spent some great time catching up with friends I had not seen in a while. One of them was in Nicaragua for three months ministering to young ladies there with difficult backgrounds. It was great to here her perspective of living cross culturally.  I leave the country on Tuesday! I'm definitely getting excited for warm weather and officially starting my cross cultural experience and ministering to the people in Africa. Missions Challenge: Be United! We are One body, One church, under One Lord and Savior.

Twenty-four Cross Cultural Interns with different personalities and backgrounds all going to different cultures around the world. The last few days we have been learning about the two main types of cultures: hot-climate cultures vs. cold-climate cultures. Growing up in Nairobi, Kenya I was surrounded by a hot-climate culture but living in Michigan has been a cold-climate culture experience. A hot-climate culture is very group centered, relational, indirect with their communication, inclusive of everyone around, spontaneous hospitality, high in manners and greetings, and are event conscience more than time conscience. Learning about these has been good and will help once I arrive in South Africa on the 20th of this month; however sitting in New York and hearing about it will be very different to experiencing it first hand and adjusting.  Macy, Caleb, and I are the three interns starting in South Africa this year and we had the chance to talk to Abbie, an intern who has already spent a