My first week here in South Africa has been so great!! Already the Lord has shown up and moved in amazing ways! Our intern and summer volunteer teams have bonded so beautifully and it's already a family vibe! I of course end up being the mamma figure.... :) As well, we have been able to go out on ministry a couple of times.
On Wednesday Emma, Lynae, and Katie, Bongani, and I were out on shack to shack ministry. As we were walking through the camp, we came across a man named Moses. As we entered his home, he explained to us that his wife had been in bed and sick for over a year. She was unable to eat, and didn't get out of bed. When we entered her room, there she lay. She could barely open her eyes and had a hard time answering. We found out that her name was Cynthia. We asked her if we could pray for her. She agreed, and so the five of us laid our hands on her and began to pray. We claimed healing in the name of Jesus and spoke wholeness into this woman's body.
At the end of the prayer, Cynthia began to cry. We were all confused, why was she crying? Was the pain still there? Was she still suffering? Then she began to say "The pain is gone" WOW!! God healed this woman! She sat up and called to her husband for food and drink. Cynthia talked with us for the next 20 minutes while sitting up. She just kept saying over and over again "God is real, God is real"....
God moved through us in a BIG way! I am expecting great and mighty works from the father over the next two months. I know God is moving and I believe firmly that He has great things for us! Please continue to pray for those we will come in contact with, as well as praying that the Lord will continue to reveal Himself to each and everyone of us along this amazing journey!!
Thank you for being a part of this incredible Adventure! I love you!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
Planes, Trains, and Emergency rooms....
Well, I'm currently on my way to South Africa!! While I'm so excited about being there, I am not enjoying the traveling to get there. It all started yesterday when we drove from Michigan to Columbus Ohio. I have been feeling rather jittery lately mainly due to the fact that I'm not sleeping well at night, so you can imagine that 5 hours in a car were pretty tough for me.
After having dinner with my aunt and cousin and sister, we sat down to relax. Knowing that I had a day of traveling ahead of me, I was making a point of trying to chill a bit. My "chilling" got interrupted when my Aunt Mindi started complaining of chest pain. We promptly loaded her in the car and headed for the Emergency room. After 4 hours of tests, questions, and my very own sing-along, they sent my aunt home. No heart attack!! Praise the Lord, and she looked to be completely fine. They think she may have had a spasm in her esophagus.... The doctor told us it's rather common, and it can sometimes feel like a heart attack. I guess you really do learn something new everyday....
We got back to my cousin's and in bed around 1 AM. You know that feeling that you have something very big ahead of you, and you just can't get your body to relax? Yeah that was me last night. Luckily I was able to get some sleep. After a trip to the airport and a flight from Columbus to New York, I'm waiting to get on a plane that will take me to Amsterdam, then from Amsterdam I will fly to my second home!
I'm so excited to be in South Africa, but the traveling hasn't necessarily been fun or easy. But I'm on my way. I could totally go with a "we need to learn to enjoy the journey" angle with this, but I won't. That angle has been overdone. Instead let me encourage those who are experiencing the "unexpected" interruptions life sometimes (ok often) hands us. They come in all shapes and sizes, and we can't control them and we definitely cannot control them. But these are the things that help us grow and learn. So here are three things I want you to do next time you find yourself in the middle of an interruption:
1. Figure out what you can learn... I think we need to be open to learning new things, always. Whether it's how to improve, what to change, or even if it's one new random fact, try to be aware of your opportunity to learn within the situation.
2. Laugh.... I truly believe that laughter is the best medicine. This is my primary way of dealing with crazy stuff in my life. I find the joy in it. Find something funny to laugh at, life can't be so serious all the time, we don't actually live in a soap opera...
3. Chill!!... Get some rest. Take care of your body regardless of what is going on. Once it's all said and done take time to relax, and get plenty of sleep. I've learned the value of a good nights sleep over the last year and let me tell you the last week and a half, I've been missing it so much!! If your interruption lasts more than a day, make sure you are taking time to sleep. Don't try to get rid of it, or fix it all by going for days without sleep that just leads to sickness, and grumpiness...
Enjoy life regardless of what part of your current "journey" you're on... As for me, I will sit in this airport and try my hardest to stay awake....
After having dinner with my aunt and cousin and sister, we sat down to relax. Knowing that I had a day of traveling ahead of me, I was making a point of trying to chill a bit. My "chilling" got interrupted when my Aunt Mindi started complaining of chest pain. We promptly loaded her in the car and headed for the Emergency room. After 4 hours of tests, questions, and my very own sing-along, they sent my aunt home. No heart attack!! Praise the Lord, and she looked to be completely fine. They think she may have had a spasm in her esophagus.... The doctor told us it's rather common, and it can sometimes feel like a heart attack. I guess you really do learn something new everyday....
We got back to my cousin's and in bed around 1 AM. You know that feeling that you have something very big ahead of you, and you just can't get your body to relax? Yeah that was me last night. Luckily I was able to get some sleep. After a trip to the airport and a flight from Columbus to New York, I'm waiting to get on a plane that will take me to Amsterdam, then from Amsterdam I will fly to my second home!
I'm so excited to be in South Africa, but the traveling hasn't necessarily been fun or easy. But I'm on my way. I could totally go with a "we need to learn to enjoy the journey" angle with this, but I won't. That angle has been overdone. Instead let me encourage those who are experiencing the "unexpected" interruptions life sometimes (ok often) hands us. They come in all shapes and sizes, and we can't control them and we definitely cannot control them. But these are the things that help us grow and learn. So here are three things I want you to do next time you find yourself in the middle of an interruption:
1. Figure out what you can learn... I think we need to be open to learning new things, always. Whether it's how to improve, what to change, or even if it's one new random fact, try to be aware of your opportunity to learn within the situation.
2. Laugh.... I truly believe that laughter is the best medicine. This is my primary way of dealing with crazy stuff in my life. I find the joy in it. Find something funny to laugh at, life can't be so serious all the time, we don't actually live in a soap opera...
3. Chill!!... Get some rest. Take care of your body regardless of what is going on. Once it's all said and done take time to relax, and get plenty of sleep. I've learned the value of a good nights sleep over the last year and let me tell you the last week and a half, I've been missing it so much!! If your interruption lasts more than a day, make sure you are taking time to sleep. Don't try to get rid of it, or fix it all by going for days without sleep that just leads to sickness, and grumpiness...
Enjoy life regardless of what part of your current "journey" you're on... As for me, I will sit in this airport and try my hardest to stay awake....
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