I'm gonna make this place your home

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.." ~ Psalm 127:1

Today we visited our new church here in Cape Town, King of Kings.  In the middle of their Family Month, today's sermon was from Psalm 127 and focused on the importance of having a loving home rather than simply having a house to live.  Being newlyweds and looking forward to raising our own family (no, we aren't pregnant), this sermon was really encouraging and honestly got me very excited to have a family one day.  However, it was the first verse of this Psalm that we studied today that has constantly been in my mind all day long, and as Claudia and I start this new season of life in ministry, this verse hit home on so many levels, no pun intended.  This flat in Noordhoek is our first home together, and we know the importance of having Christ as the center of our family, but this also hit me on a broader scale.  In ministry in general, if the work we do isn't God-ordained and God-inspired, then our work is in vain.  Without God, all skill, strength, and effort is worthless - this definition of vain that the pastor used today just rocked me and Claudia and I had quite the gut-check moment.  It was such a great reminder of why we're here.  It's through that lens that we will gain perspective on all our work here, whether planning or singing and dancing with our little ones, we must continue to rely on the Holy Spirit for the remainder of our journey.

This was our second week of Kids and Teens Clubs, and our second full week to work alongside Lumka and Kennedy and the other LSE's.  I can't begin to describe how amazing it is to work alongside brothers and sisters from across the world who have the common goal of making Christ known to the kids, teens and parents of their community.  It's truly a privilege to get to partner with them in ministry, and when you listen to the hurts and cries of their hearts for the lost kids in their communities, you can't help but be encouraged because regardless of where they are in life, they are sold out to making God magnified in their communities.

In Kids Club this week, we continued to focus on watching our words.  "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer" Psalm 19:4 was our memory verse this week.  We wanted the kids to see how their words are important and should be used to lift others up and not tear them down.  The highlight of the Kids Club for me was seeing my wife read The Little Engine That Could to these little ones.  For 15 minutes, you could hear a pin drop in a room where every other minute is organized chaos.  These kids were completely fixed on every word and picture on every page.  It's humbling to think that most of these kids don't get read to before bed every night like I and many of you were when we were their age.  It was the most beautiful picture in the world, getting to see Claudia make many of these kids' days by just taking time to read them a story.

Our goal this week for Teens Club was to encourage them to Finish Strong.  This time of year school is winding down for them, and we wanted to just give them a push to finish the race with momentum.  But also, we wanted to gain momentum into this week, which is our Wait 4 Me event (we called this True Love Waits).  We read in Matthew 12 where Jesus said "out of the abundance of the heard the mouth speaks."  We talked about how the things we put into our hearts and minds are what will ultimately be how we speak and act.  Much like kids in the USA, these teens are exposed to so much more than I was as a teen, and with the technology that they do have, they have access to much more than was available 10 years ago.  But even with all this evil surrounding them, there were glimpses of hope.  One girl asked "So if I think about sex, does that mean that my heart and mind aren't pure?"  Claudia was able to share with her that though we may have bad thoughts, that doesn't mean we're impure, and even though we are sinful humans, we were bought by Jesus' blood on the cross, and we don't have to live in bondage to these desires.  God is moving in these teens!! Please continue to pray for opportunities like this one to proclaim Christ to these hurting kids and teens.

Our weekend was very relaxing, and Claudia and I got to spend time getting Christmas presents for our families and also spending time with Matt, one of the new volunteers here.  We went on a date Friday night and caught up on laundry on Saturday.  I already shared about church today, but we had a great time experiencing community this weekend, and we're looking forward to the relationships we'll make here.  As I wrap up this post, I just want to let you in on some ways to continue to be in prayer.  First of all, our landlord, Dieter, had a heart attack on Friday night and has been in the hospital for 2 nights.   I'm not sure just yet if he and his wife are believers, but I was able to pray and offer condolences to Jennifer.  She said he'd had a heart attack once or twice before, but the doctors were even more afraid this time because it seemed he had a stroke as well.  Keep Dieter and Jennifer in your prayers this week for healing and strength.  Pray that Claudia and I could be a positive influence in their lives as well.  Along the same lines, John Thomas, the senior pastor at King of Kings and founder of Living Hope is having surgery tomorrow morning.  I'm not certain on all the details of the surgery, but I know it's serious.  Pray for his family, Avril his wife, and children.  Pray also for the doctors and nurses and surgeons who will be with him tomorrow.  Finally, we're still fundraising for this rest of this year and next year, and I'm anxious to see how God provides.  He's blown us away in the last month with generous gifts from friends and family and even people who don't know us, but support God's mobilization of his people.

Thank you all so much for your texts, messages, and emails.  It is so encouraging to hear from you all and your support has been so meaningful to us as we continue to venture on this journey.

Cheers

First full week complete!

We can't believe that we have already had our first full week here in Cape Town. It has flown by but has been absolutely incredible. A week ago today I was in a completely different place then I am today. The first couple of days it was really hard for me. I guess in my head I thought this was going to be a lot easier then it really is. I have experienced many changes in the past couple of months. From graduation in May, getting married in September, and moving to another country just 10 days ago, it has been a whirlwind. I was feeling very sad last weekend into the beginning of this past week. I missed home, family, friends, and the life that seemed so normal to both Nathan and I. I knew that this move wouldn't be easy, but I wasn't expecting to miss the things back home so much. I realize now that a lot of that emotion came from a lack of sleep we were getting, but we are thankfully caught up now and that has helped immensely. Through all the tears a couple of days ago, I was quickly reminded by our God and my loving husband that He is never far from us. In the times where things seem so far from normal, He is right there ready to comfort any emotion we may be feeling. It has been so neat to see how much different I feel from last weekend. A big reason for feeling the way I do now is being able to go to Red Hill this past week.

When we pulled into Red Hill everyday this week it's like every worry and fear goes away. It's such a beautiful place that brings so much joy to both of us. When we drive to our container office, there are so many little things that make my heart overflow with happiness. The smiles of the people we pass, the random animals running around, the women filling up her water bucket for her family, and of course the children that run along the gravel roads. All of these things will never get old seeing day after day. This week we did a lot of observing; seeing how Lumka and Kennedy run things day by day in Red Hill. Lumka and Kennedy are the Life Skills Educators that we get the privilege of working alongside each week. Lumka is such a beautiful women inside and out. She is more of a quiet spirit but has a huge love for the community of Red Hill and so many ideas to make kids and teens club better each week. I can't wait to continue getting to know her. Kennedy is such a fun spirit to be around. He and Nathan enjoy talking about a lot of things and he is a great leader in the community that many people look up to. We love being able to do kids and teens club with them this week.

Kids club this week was crazy and upbeat, like usual! On Monday's the kids meet in upper camp and on Wednesday's the kids meet in middle camp. We start off each kids club with singing worship songs to our Father. It is such a blessing to hear these children sing praises to our great God. They get so excited and sing at the top of there lungs. We loved getting to jump around and sing with them on Monday and Wednesday. Monday we talked about ways to use our words in a positive way. We looked at James 3:5-10 and talked about how the tongue is a fire and we have to control what words we say to each other. We explained how the tongue can be a blessing and a curse and how we need to really look to uplift people with the words that we say. On Wednesday we had a movie day at kids club. We watched Despicable Me and the kids loved it. I have to admit, I probably laughed just as much as they did. Before kids club started though we were able to play with the kids for about 30 minutes. Some of them were playing soccer, others were dancing to music, and some were looking at books. I had the opportunity to read a children's  book to about 5 kids before club started on Wednesday. One of our sweet girls, Iyaka, asked me to read a book to her. As I sat in the corner with 5 kids trying to sit on my lap I couldn't help but think how normal this was back in the states. Most parents read a bedtime story to there children each night before they go to bed, but for these kids, that was anything but normal. They were so grateful and happy to just sit and listen to a story being read to them. Sitting there reading that story to the kids my eyes filled with tears and my heart grew heavy. In that moment I remembered how big our God was and how blessed I was to share a story with His beautiful children.

One thing I love about Red Hill is how Lumka cooks the kids and teens a hot meal each week. On Wednesday and Thursday the kids and teens both got a hot meal after club. I asked Lumka one day how many of the children get fed well that came to club and she said about half. That meal might be the only warm meal that these kids and teens get in a week. That is really hard to wrap our minds around. We are so blessed to get hot meals everyday. Something that Nathan and I want to stop saying so much is "I'm starving." It's a saying that we throw around a lot when we are hungry and even though it seems so simple, to these people it is completely different. Yes, we may be really hungry, but we will probably never know what it means to be starving. It is truly a blessing to get to serve these kids and teens food each week. To see there faces light up and gobble up there food is such an incredible thing to be apart of.

We weren't able to make it to teens club this past Tuesday, but on Thursday they also watched a movie. We watched Alvin and The Chipmunks! There were only about 10-12 teens there on Thursday. It was so cool to just sit with them and be able to enjoy a movie. Nathan talked to me on the way home on Thursday how much alike the teen guys are here and back home at our church. They both struggle with a lot of the same things and want to be accepted by there peers. At the same time though, they love to just get together and hang out. Despite all the things that these teens are struggling with and going through in Red Hill, they are still kids at heart. They enjoy being able to come and watch a movie in a place that is safe and be accepted by the people around them. Like the kids, the teens received a hot meal on Thursday. We loved being in Red Hill this week and serving this beautiful community. We can't wait to see how the Lord is going to continue to move in that place.

Friday was a really fun day for us. Every Friday we will have a meeting at Living Hope from 8:00-12:00. We will gather with all the other Life Skill Educators and volunteers and talk about the week and start preparing for the next week. Nathan and I were able to share a little bit of our story this week and lead everyone in a short devotion before we started. It was really cool getting to hear all that the Lord is doing in the other communities and get to meet the other people we will be working with. Halfway through the meeting we split up in two groups, kids and teens. I stayed with Lumka and Nathan went with Kennedy. Lumka and I were able to start planning for this coming week and talk about different ideas that will keep the children engaged and excited about coming to club. I feel like together we have a lot of good ideas and it will be cool to see them come together in this next year. Nathan and Kennedy went and met with the people that work with teens in the other communities. He shared with me later how they spent about an hour addressing the needs of the teens and praying that God would show up in big ways in there lives. Nathan told me how open the other life skill educators were with the things that these teens are struggling with. A lot of the stuff is extremely heavy and he was very broken for these teenagers. His past two years as an intern with the youth at Rolling Hills is going to help him in a lot of different ways when it comes to encouraging and talking to these teenagers. I'm very excited to see the Lord work through him and the lives of these sweet guys. Tomorrow morning, Monday, Nathan and I will meet with Lumka and Kennedy in Red Hill and continue planning for this coming week!

Friday afternoon we had off so we went to the beach for a couple hours and then went up Chapman's Peak! It was so beautiful and such a fun time together. This place is truly breathtaking and I wish everyone could experience the beauty of this place. This weekend has been pretty relaxing for us both. We went to dinner at the Waterfront in downtown Cape Town with some friends yesterday. It was really nice being able to spend time with them and catch up. When we got home we were able to Skype some special people for a couple hours. It was great to see family and friends! It brings a little sense of home to us both! We have been able to catch up on sleep, read, and do laundry this weekend also so that's always good. We are still getting used to hanging our clothes on the line after we wash them, no dryer for us!

As I wrap up there are a few things you can be praying for this week. Continue to pray for Nathan and I as we continue to settle in and adjust to everything. Pray for Red Hill and all that the Lord is doing there. Pray for the kids and teens that there minds would be filled with positive things and that they would use there words wisely this week. We are continuing what we were teaching last week so praying that they will understand the things that we are trying to teach them. Pray for Lumka and Kennedy as they continue to lead and that they would be encouraged by Nathan and I and feel a overwhelming peace each day. Pray for the other communities, Masiphumelele, Capricorn, and Ocean View, that Living Hope work with and for there kids, teens, and leaders. We can't wait to see all the Lord is going to do this week and to share with all of you! So thankful for our great God and his GREAT love!

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39

The 3 Day Blur

It feels good to be writing to you all again.  Claudia and I have been able to get somewhat acclimated to our new life here in Cape Town and tomorrow we get to embark on our first day serving in Red Hill!  But before we start this adventure, I'd like to recap the last 3 days for you..

After an emotional farewell from our friends and family at the Nashville Airport, we boarded a plane to Washington D.C. and then made our seamless transition to our Gate and boarded our plane for Johannesburg.  Only half of the personal media screens on the flight worked, and the two of us were in the lucky bunch, so our traveling was about as smooth as it could be.  Our plane refueled in Dakar, Senegal and we were off to South Africa.  Then came JoBurg.  What happened in Johannesburg is somewhat of a blur now, but I can tell you in the moment, it was everything in me not to just book a flight home and come back.  

To be fair, we'd been warned about taking the "Refueling in Dakar" flight.  We'd heard horror stories about how long a one hour pitstop easily turns into four, so we were completely prepared to miss our final connecting flight to Cape Town and knew what to do should our flight not get to JoBurg in time to make our flight.  So when we arrived earlier than we were supposed to, we thought it would be easy breezy. We thought wrong.

We landed around 5:35, ahead of schedule, and proceeded to a relatively painless immigration check in.  We grabbed our luggage and hustled to recheck our bags around 6:00.  We ran up the stairs, knowing we were cutting it close to our flights departure when we got caught up in a line and ultimately missed our flight.  But no big deal, right? Just go to the South African Airlines desk and they'll put us on the next flight, and we'll just be delayed in our last flight to Cape Town.  WRONG.  Apparently, (and the jury's still out on whose fault it was, SAA or Orbitz for advertising a flight with such a quick turnaround) the flight was "illegal" because we only had 30 minutes between our arrival into JoBurg, and our Departure to Cape Town.  Because of our apparent deviant flight booking techniques, SAA wouldn't grant us a ticket on the last flight, we would have to pay a $500 to change the flight, or buy new tickets for $600.  Well we didn't have working credit card yet or a SIM card for our cell phone.  We got our phone working and called our contact, Tim, and by the time we got the security flags off our credit card, the SAA desk was closed.  So it was off to a hotel we went.  Thankfully, Orbitz offered to reimburse us for our hotel, flight, and food, but unfortunately our psyche took a hit.

The next day our experience at the airport was much smoother, and we got to Cape Town just after noon.  Natasha, Tim's husband, took us back to our new home.  We unloaded our luggage and took a long nap to get ready for our first run at the South African grocery, Pick-n-Pay.  The next day we went and got our new car, Jackie, a Toyota Corolla and our adventures began.  We revisited the PnP to go by the ATM and as we parked, I heard a little voice call out "NATHAN!"  It was Shinazo, one of the little kids from Red Hill who I've gotten to know on our mission trips.  Made my day.  Then after getting our cards figured out, we went back to the ATM and in the parking lot I ran into Mzo, who visited Rolling Hills 2 years ago and was the reason I went on the South African mission trip.  God put into my path 2 people who have been influential in bringing me back to serve long term.  Just the affirmation I needed to keep on, the day before we start our work.  Praise God!! 

Tomorrow we take another step in our journey and we couldn't be more excited! Please pray for the kids and people we'll meet in Red Hill.  Pray that their hearts would be softened to the Gospel.  Also, lift up Kennedy and Lumka and their families.  Pray that they would have the energy to keep on teaching and leading these kids and teens.  Please keep us in your prayers as well, we are still battling jet lag and haven't been asleep before 3AM any night this week.  Thank you for all your support and encouragement! We couldn't do it without you!

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5 Days Away..

Today is our Social Media Outreach Day and our goal is just to spread our story so that people can ultimately remember us in their prayers over the next two years, but also so that they can have an opportunity to join alongside us in our journey and partner with us financially.  We've prayed over this day and we have set a goal to raise $5,000 dollars during this 12 hour period.  More than anything, we want for Christ to be magnified during this day.  There's no way we could do any of this without the Holy Spirit moving into hearts and spurring them.  We know that our God is big enough to take care of all our financial needs and we want to look back on this day and have no other choice but to give praise to the One to whom all Praise is due.  Thank you for taking time to support and encourage us.  You prayers during this journey has comforted us when we felt overwhelmed and gave us the confidence to keep pursuing this wonderful adventure God has for us!

18 Short Days

I know it's been awhile since I've blogged, I promise it will have a lot more consistency once we get to South Africa. The past couple of months have been a whirlwind to say the least. On September 15th Nathan and I finally tied the knot and the day couldn't have been more perfect. It was the wedding I pictured in my head ever since I was a little girl. We are so grateful for everyone who made that day possible for us, especially his family! Now that life has slowed down a little bit we are really able to focus most of our attention to the big move in 18 days, not that anybody is counting. If you asked us how we are feeling you would probably get a handful of answers. Excited, anxious, nervous, happy, grateful and humbled would be some of our answers I'm sure. I can already tell why people love being married, it truly is one of God's greatest blessings. As we look forward to the weeks ahead we are so excited to be in Cape Town and start our life together, just us! We are currently living out of suitcases and living at his parents house in his room upstairs. While we are so thankful for time with family right now, we are ready to be in our own little small "flat" that we will call home. We started reading through Acts together right after the wedding and it has been such a blessing. Learning and growing together brings me so much joy. Being able to seek the Lord through all these huge steps in our lives is a blessing in itself. Psalm 105 3 says, "Glory in his holy name, let the hearts of those who seek the Lord REJOICE!" Reading through Acts we have seen so much. One of my favorite stories we have read so far is in chapter 4. The boldness that Peter and John have is the boldness that I pray Nathan and I will take to the beautiful city of Cape Town. "But Peter and John answered them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:19-20) WOW! That is exactly the kind of attitude that we want to have. It's not going to be easy. We would be crazy to think it was going to be. There are going to be those days that we are uncertain why we are still there and days that Satan seems like he's getting in between everything. It's in those days that we will dive into the word and read verses like Acts 2:28, "You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence." We are reminded daily of the plan we have for our lives. We know that every step of this journey is God ordained. When we step on that plane in 18 short days, we know that we are taking another step of obedience toward the next chapter of our lives together.

As most of you know we are raising our own support for the next couple of years. This has been one of the most humbling experiences for both of us. There are times when we sit together and wonder how we are going to pay rent 6 months from now or wonder how much money we will have by the time we leave. We have had moments of rejoicing and moments of doubt. In the moments of doubt we are always blown away by the faithfulness and sovereignty of our Father. We quickly remind each other that we didn't call one another to this country. The God of the universe called us there. We didn't choose for our hearts to long for hugs and kisses from the kids in Red Hill, God gave us that longing to be there. We didn't plan 3 years ago to fall in love with each other and that beautiful community, but He did. As much as we like to be in control, we couldn't be anymore not in control. God is carrying this all out by himself. He asked and we simply said yes. So when we are looking over our budget and facing uncertainties we must remind ourselves how we got here in the first place. He is the one providing our next step, He always has been. So with that being said I ask you to join us in prayer these next couple of weeks. We are having a couple more fundraisers and we know God is going to show up. Next weekend, October 12-13, in Franklin we are having a huge garage sale. There will be so many things there for sale and we would love to see you come out. Sara and Steve Ingmire have been kind of enough to let us use there house. The address is 3145 Vera Valley Road Franklin, TN. The other fundraiser we are going to do will be the week right before we leave. We haven't set a date for it yet, but just so you have a heads up. More details on that will come in the next week.

More then anything right now we need your prayers. There are some specific things that you can be praying about. Pray for the kids and teens in Red Hill that we are getting the blessing to work with the next couple years. Pray that there hearts will be open to us when we get there and that they will feel comfortable and will be able to see Christ love in us. Pray for Lumka and Kennedy who are daily serving in the community of Red Hill. Pray that they feel encouraged and loved daily. They are two fearless leaders who are always looking for ways to serve others. Pray that Nathan and I will be able to encourage them in the way that will help them the most once we get there. Pray for last minute things that need to be done before we leave. We are still waiting on our visas to arrive and that is something we have to have before we step on that plane. Lastly, pray for our hearts these next couple of weeks. Pray that we would be so filled with the spirit that it would overflow out of us. Pray that we continue to seek Christ in every little thing and that we will be BOLD in all that we do. I can't believe the countdown is less then 3 weeks, but couldn't be more excited! Thank you all for your continued prayer and support. May God continue to get the glory everyday with each step of obedience we take.

The Stillness of the Night

It's 2:07 in the morning and I couldn't be more awake. The house is dark and quiet as I sit still on the couch upstairs. I pulled out my Bible and started reading the book of Psalms. The truth and light that the Psalms shed is incredible. I am blown away every time I read of our God's power and how He has been working through people from the very beginning of time. I began to read Psalm 18 and it had a completely different meaning for me then it has in the past. David is addressing the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord rescued Him from the hand of all his enemies. Reading the words on the page that David spoke brings me so much JOY! "In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears" (vs. 6). David was no different from us. In our times of distress we call upon the Lord. We want our Father to hear us and comfort us in times that are hard. He hears our cries and he listens to our every word! David goes on to acknowledge how GREAT our God is! "For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? The God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of the deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed. For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed. The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation. For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing to your name!"(vs. 31-49). David from the beginning of this Psalm is stating his love for the Lord. David is sharing with us how he is yearning for God and the close love that he has for his Father. This is the kind of love that we pray and yearn for daily. A love so strong that we can confidently say that we have are arms wrapped so tightly around our Father. David explains to us how he has been saved from his enemies and God was so faithful and deserves all the praise. Seeing God for his worthiness is so important, as David points out for us. I pray that we will daily remember that God is the only person deserving of our focus, praise, and service because of all that He does. Revelation 4:11 says, "Our Lord and God, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power because YOU have created all things, and because of YOUR will they exist and were created." Please pray that the worthiness of God is something that we will seek daily. David goes on to talk about how God took delight in him. In the same way God takes delight in us. God takes delight in all of his children! This is such a beautiful picture! When we are obedient to the things that God has called us to, He takes such delight. God is always our number one fan. He wants the absolute best for us no matter what the circumstance. We must see our Father in this light. Reading this passage in the stillness of tonight has shed a new light. Just like God delivered David, He is waiting to deliver us. He wants us to yearn for Him. He wants us to draw close to Him. He wants us to recognize His worthiness and be the only one deserving of our focus and praise. He wants us to delight in Him and be obedient when He calls us. So many things that David learned we are learning today. The same God that delivered David and called Him by name is calling us! My heart is thankful tonight for the blessing of knowing this God and knowing that His plan for us is HUGE! I pray that Nathan and I will continue to cry out to God and seek Him in the stillness of the days to come. He is waiting patiently and we are so blessed to have a Father whose love never runs dry!