Saying goodbye...

This is a song I wrote at the beginning of my time here, when I first met most of the volunteers. It's called "All These People." It's about being impacted by so many people and places, and how they can change your life, your thoughts, and your heart. Enjoy!

There are times in your life when you know things have to change. You graduate high school... you graduate college... you get married... you move. Whatever it is, you know that things will be different. You can't stick with the mindset of the old, because the times will be new. Although, being here in South Africa, I've learned a whole new meaning to the word change.

First, living in a whole new place, country, continent, culture, was a huge change. Then the projects... they change, grow, adapt, progress. Then the people: one of the hardest things for me to get used to. People converging from all over the world, staying for a time and then departing. We live life together. We share everything: our clothes, our food, our testimonies, our hurts, our frustrations. And then one day, they are gone. I thought I would get used to it after the first few volunteers left, but it never got easier. It actually only became harder, because the people I was saying goodbye to last were the ones I was closest with.

I feel so blessed to have served alongside all the volunteers that have come to YFC Cape Town in this year, 2011. There were ups and downs and all-arounds, but still somehow we managed to make it work. I saw so many people come in and out from so many different countries and cultures - Germany, Holland, the entire UK, France, America - and each of these people brought something beautiful and special to this place and to this center. There is something I miss about everyone, and I could use the next 5 blog entires to list all of those things, but instead, I will just talk about a few of the people. The wonderful people who have just departed and are already so sorely missed. There will always be a vast space in my heart for each of them and also a vast space that can never be filled here at YFC Cape Town. People can try, and they can do well, but there will always be something missing.

Mirjam: my dearest roomie from Holland! One of the most generous and loving people I know. Also, one of the most affectionate, which I appreciated after Shawna, my best friend, had left SA (even though it took some getting used to, as I am not the most touchy-feely person in the world). Mirjam always knew when I was feeling down and always new exactly what to say to make me feel better. I will never forget our long talks at night before we would go to bed: going to bed at 9pm and staying up until 12am chatting about our family woes. She let me have most of the closet space (which began to become ALL of the closet space) and let me take over the room with my plethora of hats, scarves and purses. She never complained about anything. She sacrificed for everyone all the time never thinking for once about herself and what she wanted. And above all else, I knew she loved God. She loved Him with a big heart... Now she is off doing great things in Holland, finishing up her degree and always sending me the sweetest messages/letters! Mirjam, there will never be a better roommate, nor friend. You are too good to me!

Kadder: my love from Germany. What can I do without you? In the words of Blue, NOOOOOTHING! Things just don't seem to work without Kadder. I constantly think "what would Kadder do?" or "how would it be if Kadder was here?" And I know maybe that is wrong, but she just made such a big impact on lives and the center that it's hard to imagine life and the projects without her. She was one of the sweetest people I know. HANDS DOWN! She never ever ever thought about herself, and always was the first one to sacrifice if there was a need. And even if there wasn't a need, she was still the first one there to look past herself. She wore her heart on her sleeve and there was no doubt about her passion for the Lord. Everything she did was for Him. She is also one of the most adorable people I've ever met. HANDS DOWN! Which made being with her all the more better... You can never be mad at Kadder, she's just too cute! She can do no wrong ;)... In the beginning, we never thought we would ever be close. Her quiet spirit and reserved nature seemed to clash with my loud, outgoing and sometimes overwhelming spirit. But here we are: and I would consider her one of my best friends. She truly has changed my life, and I thank the Lord for her presence in my life! I know she is back doing great things in Germany! Any child would be lucky to have her as a teacher!

Lizzie: last, but certainly not least... THE Lizzie Bell. What words can truly describe this amazing woman. There really aren't enough. First and foremost, her love for Christ was contagious! She inspired me to love God more. I loved to be around her and learn from her and even just share stories with her. She was always willing to listen to my LONG stories and always gave the best advice. She never questioned anything and always tried to make situations work out for the best. She would bend over backwards and go out of her way for anyone, and that was so admirable. Even people she wasn't close to, she would still love them to so big. There is a Lizzie shaped hole in this YFC office now. I don't think anyone will ever take her place or be able to fill her shoes, she set the bar so high. And no one can replace her in my heart either! Lizzie was and still is such an amazing, special, talented, generous, caring, outstanding, gracious, proper, impressive, gorgeous individual, and I'm so blessed to have known her for this short time. Lizzie was with me until the bitter end... the last of 24 volunteers that I watched leave. And who better than her to stick it out with me. I don't know what I would have done without her and I know my time here would not have been nearly as amazing. God does truly bring people together in glorious ways! Lizzie is back teaching in England at a special needs school for students with cerebral palsy. She's always working hard and loving even harder. Thank you Lizzie for just sharing a little bit of your life with me. I'll never forget you!

I know it's not goodbye. Just goodbye for now. It's so difficult to say goodbye in these circumstances though. People from all over the world. It's so hard to say when we will see each other again, but I know one day. My heart won't ever let me forget.

-Kristen

24 & spring.

24: another day, another year gone by. On my birthday every year, I often times find myself reflecting on my life up to this point. Sometimes even just reviewing the last year to see where God has brought me in this time. You can sit around with people and use the oh so common phrase, “a year ago, around this time, I was _____________” fill in the blank. But this year is different. Very different. I am in a whole new country, a whole new home, and I am with a whole new family. It’s not a bad feeling just different. It makes me think even more about how God has brought me so far.

My time here in South Africa has been such a blessing. A challenging blessing, but a blessing nonetheless. I feel that God teaches us the greatest things through the toughest lessons. Practicing patience and loving people that I barely understand… just a few of the things God has been working on in my life. This has truly been a wild beautiful journey. Around this time, last year (ironic), I wrote a song called “23 & fall.” It’s a song about being 23, and all the expectations that go along with that. I should be thinking about marriage now or I should have a stable job. Instead I was thinking about dropping everything stable and normal in my life and heading to Africa.

Expectations are a stifling thing. We can let them make our decisions for us or change the way we experience life. At the age of 23, I let these expectations get the best of me. But God had other plans: He wanted me in South Africa, and He made a way. So now at the age of 24, I look back at an exciting year of my life. I couldn’t have predicted or planned. It was all God-breathed and orchestrated: the people and the places, the ministry and the fun. God has allowed me the opportunity to share His love all over Cape Town, and in turn, I have experienced His love in a whole new way. I am humbled by the ways He’s working here, and even the ways He’s working back home through the stories I tell and the pictures I post. I thank God for shattering my expectations…

I have friends that I will treasure for life. People that I never thought I would be able to have a relationship with. These wonderful people became my family for a season, and I miss them everyday (or will miss them for those that haven’t quite left yet). I am so thankful for those new relationships. They got me through the best of times and the worst. I wholeheartedly believe that the other volunteers were a big part of my ministry during this time. I learned so much about myself and about loving people just by living day to day. Dinnertime and movie nights and project planning: it all was meant for something greater. I WILL be seeing these people again. They will always have a bit of my heart.

So begins a new chapter… 24 & spring. It’s time to take on the next year and begin making more glorious memories. I look forward to the rest of my time here in Cape Town and what God has in store. From new faces to new places, I’m ready.

What a lovely birthday. Thanks to all those that made it so great! And thank you to my awesome housemates, who made me the best American breakfast any non-Americans could make! I am a lucky girl. Year 24, prepare to be conquered ☺

-Kristen

galatians 6:9

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." -galatians 6:9

One of my friends sent this verse to me out of nowhere. And they aren't really a good friend that knows me well, they just felt God's prompting and responded accordingly. It's truly brilliant when God literally speaks through fellow believers around you. The timing couldn't have been more perfect.

I oftentimes find myself aggravated over so many little things that build up to something BIG. It feels like I do good and do good and do good and at the end of the day I've received nothing but negative feedback or people around me have taken advantage of the fact that I chose to do good. Of course looking back on my complaints, I realize how miniscule they truly are and how much bigger they seemed at the time...

Your mind and emotions can play dirty tricks on you sometimes: making things seem way worse than they really are. I almost feel ashamed for the semi-pity parties that I throw for myself in bitterness at the end of the day. But this verse encouraged me: doing good is exhausting. "Let us not become weary," insinuating that people were becoming weary. Doing good goes against our human nature... It's a nature of God, so we have to try and work and struggle at it. Doing bad is effortless, but the weight of guilt after is impossible to bear. There's encouragement even beyond knowing that others have felt your pain: in due time we will reap, but if and only if we don't give up!

God's timing is true. We don't understand and interpret time as God does. He has a much bigger picture in mind. He knows when that harvest will be ready... It might be a heavenly harvest, but all God asks is that we don't give up. The good that we're doing, however fruitless we feel it might be, is producing a harvest that one day we will reap.

As a Christian, we must realize our faith is founded on it NOT being about us. Therefore, doing good now for no "apparent" reason may seem crazy to the world, but is honorable and just in the eyes of our Savior. The world can convince us that what we're doing is meaningless, and at times, we see that as truth and we grow weary. But when the little things pile up and weigh you down, start looking for the little things that God does and has done in your life. You will then start to see the Kingdom right before your very eyes. The glory, peace, comfort, joy, love, grace, everything GOOD!

Who can be weary before such a beautiful, awesome, and powerful Creator? That's right, no one. Do not grow weary for the Lord is upon your life and wants to help you with the little things.

Blessings,
Kristen

Upon returning to the farm...

As we rounded the corner and the farm community came within eyesight, my heart leapt a little. Would the kids remember me? Would the babies be all grown? Would the good times be forgotten? Yes, I know I was only gone for a month, but still, in ministry that feels like an eternity, especially in the lives of these kids. You always fear a little for their lives. Are they warm enough? Do they have food? Is there someone there to bandage their wounds? Some of a child’s most basic needs are not met when they live in this sort of poverty.

But there is no poverty of spirit and love in these children. They have so much joy: more than I could ever dream of having. I seem to have it all, blessed. And yet, I think they that have not are the ones who truly get it. When you have nothing, you look past the details. You realize that all you might have is yourself and those around you, so you take advantage of that. We can completely miss relationships right in front of us in our own homes, because we are too busy with details. I’m going to start living like a farm kid, at least in spirit. To act rather than to think of how great it would be to act. Our lives are but a vapor on the scale of eternity, and we need to savor every tiny moment we have to love, to live, to hope, to sing, to dance, to give, to hold.

Remember back in the day, when you were in preschool, and the teacher busted out the parachute at recess? It was the greatest thing ever; almost so great it seemed magical. Well, today we granted that same joy to the kids at the farm. It was so much fun. The kids didn’t know what to do with themselves, they were so excited. Young and old came out to enjoy the parachute. The sound of laughter rang throughout the farm: such a glorious and beautiful sound. Such a simple contraption to bring such a big impression. I look to the little things while I’m here. God moves in the littlest smiles, the littlest children, and the littlest actions: the little actions that have the biggest impact. That’s my God.

As we were wrapping things up and heading for the cars, one of the sweet girls, Courtney, jumped on my back. She was the first to greet me as I got out of the vehicle, and she wanted to be the last to say farewell. She and I became very close in my first 5 months, and it is such a joy to be back in her life again for the next 6 months. What a wonderful young girl. I just wish she knew that. I just want everything for her, but I know there’s only so much I can do. Nonetheless, I will do everything I can to make her feel loved while I am present. We laughed and danced and skipped. She just gets me, even though most of the time we can’t understand each other verbally. Her smile just warms my heart. It is just a glimpse of the purpose God has for me here. As we drove away, I looked back to see her waving and flashing that lovely smile… I saw God’s face in that moment.

Everyday here in Cape Town can leave me awestruck. But the farm will always hold a special place in my heart. The sights, the smells, the smiles, all of it… pure, true love. It’s great to be back here. I needed to reclaim this part of my heart.

-Kristen

revive 2011.

what words can i say? when something is so amazing that it is indescribable, you know that God has something to do with it. everything about this past week was completely God organized, orchestrated, and ordained. He has a mysterious and brilliant way of bringing people together and touching the hearts and lives of so many people in a moment of worship or just in a moment of kindness. for 10 years, camp has been my new year. every single june, my life turns, changes, refreshes, and i leave blue lake with a new adventure or idea set in my heart. even at the age of 23... God has renewed my spirit.

revive is not a place you come to: it's a place you leave from. a key point, when first beginning to understand revive as a movement. since i can remember, there has been a huge group of young people, adults, and parents pouring into my life... pouring into my giftings... truly guiding my footsteps. i have never been without support, even when every other support system seemed to be lacking. God provided me with a family. my revive family. i will never forget the friends, the laughs, the heartache, and the adventures that we all share with each other. i have never met such an amazing group of people, and i've journeyed far and wide. no words can express my gratitude for how much each individual person has done for me. everyone is special and near and dear to my heart, whether they realize it or not! i wouldn't be where i am today without them...

revive is about raising up leaders. it's about pushing youth to strive for their dreams, and believe in a God that can make the impossible happen. revive is about sending out. we have to let go of the control. let our guards down. surrender. let God completely encompass and direct. revive is about development. youth will stand on a dream to be a pastor, a worship leader, a doctor, a teacher, the next president, a soccer player... and we will stand with them, and simply point their gaze upwards. to the cross. to the heavens. to the God of the universe that knows every hair on their head by name. the God of the universe that created them each so uniquely and beautifully. we seek to reveal this truth to the next generation. we are vessels. we need only empty ourselves of pride and plans and let God inspire.

leadership is influence. God is Influence. everyone is a leader in our faith. you need only to shine a light in a dark place. lead people to that flame... that fire... ignite a desire in the hearts of those around you... elevated on that hill, you are not easily hidden. you are a ray of sun, midday... though some can escape your light at times, they never escape your warmth. keep loving, even when a relationship or situation feels hopeless. the shadows and shade will come, of course they will, but they pass with a new day, a new hour. we desire, as the revive staff to empower youth to believe in a greater God, and then to believe in the dreams He's given them. faith, it's the foundation and our mission.

i will leave you with my favorite moment from camp... we have focus groups one hour everyday. this year we spilt the groups up based off of age and gender. i got a girls high school group. the last day, there was not a dry eye in the room. we barely spoke a word of the prepared material, and just poured out our heart and souls to each other. some girls shared things they had never shared with anyone before. God had opened hearts... he opened minds... and now he was opening the flood gates. my heart broke. these girls have so much stuffed down in their adolescent minds and lives. it's not fair. the baggage they carry isn't even theirs: it's from parents or situations or boys. in their moment of vulnerability, God tugged my heart. the entire week, i had been preaching to these girls things that i wasn't even practicing. i began to admit my fault, and share about my own life. freedom. we became a family. a circle of sisters. that bond will never be broken. what a cool moment. thank the Lord for His goodness, and His knowledge and discernment despite me. i will never forget that special group of girls. and the world won't know what hit them as they start to venture out! God has some amazing plans for each and every one of those beautiful girls and their glorious stories!

God always shows up... every year. no matter the struggles or circumstances, He does it. thank you revive... the place, the people, the family, the love. i wouldn't be who i am today without you. this past week has been a complete confirmation of my month in the states. God always had a plan... despite me, He moves.

come to revive 2012. you won't regret it.

love,

kristen

the cederburg day 3

7 am again. Brewing coffee again. For some reason, this ritual never gets old. I will never tire of the sights, smells, and sounds of the mountainside; or the peace and stillness of the wilderness. It's unexplainably wonderful, and I feel at home. There's a part of me that will always want to be so deep in nature, and nearly one with creation and God. But I know my calling is to people and relationship. It's ok to disappear every once in a while to catch back up with God, but I know I can't selfishly hide. I've tried that before, and no matter where I ran, God found me and drew me to Himself. There's no way I can run anymore.

A bird just arrived to sing to me its morning song. A symphony of a place untainted by the pollution and corruption of the world. And I hope it stays like that. I hope these birds continue to sing their songs freely without human disruption. We tend to conquer and plunder all that's around us, but I hope for your sakes, birds, that we never make it this far.

The rain... that means no cave exploring today, but there is unnamed beauty in the rain. With the rains spring up winter wild flowers. The heat and burn of yesterday can be washed away: it cleanses, refreshes, renews, restores, reclaims. The pitter-patter on the roof lulls me to sleep again, and the scent of the wet earth is glorious. Comparable to the smell of a fresh flower: it brings joy and clarity. Here I am again: I never tire of this place, this rain, this cold cup of coffee.

Yesterday was an interesting day. The sun shone so bright and warm, you wouldn't know it was almost winter! Reminded me of home. We began with breakfast and then relaxed for a little bit. I spent some time just soaking up the sun. We then headed out to the nearby town Clanwilliam to do some exploring. We first went to a very dead flower garden... we're a little late in season for summer flowers and much too early for the winter ones. Nonetheless, we made the best of it, and I found every flower that place had left.

We also went on a tour of a tea farm. 70% of the world's rooibos tea is produced in this small area of South Africa! Who knew?! The name rooibos means "red bush" in Afrikaans. We rode around in a vintage '78 Toyota truck and got to see the rooibos growing in its natural habitat. We stopped by a processing plant as well, to see all the work that goes into making the perfect tea. It was fascinating. We ended up back at our tour guides house/shop and got to taste some of the locally grown teas. They were outstanding. Chris, our tour guide, was an interesting fellow, but clearly loved leading tours and loved nature. He could tell us so much about the area and the surrounding flora and fauna.

He talked of one flower in particular that has an amazing way of pollinating itself. During mating season for one type of beetle, the flower blooms. It blooms with 3-D images of that specific beetle on its petals. The plant will so intelligently spread the number of fake bugs among the other flowers between 0-3, so it looks very convincing. The male bug will see the flowers and think, "Oh, mates!" And fly down to impress the ladies with his mating dance. He dances all over the flower and when the girls seem uninterested he flies off for the next flower... pollinating along the way.

God is quite the designer isn't He? He made this beautiful world and all these beautiful things and we get to enjoy them! What more could we want??



-Kristen

the cederburg day 2

There's an eeriness over the mountainside this morning, as a swift wind blows. It's as if the mountains can talk, and their voice beckons to the earth. A deep, solemn tone. I made my coffee a little strong this morning, but I'm not upset. I will appreciate the energy in an hour, when everyone is hustling and bustling around our farm lodging. The wind comes and goes, just as quickly and suddenly as it started every night and into morning. Without warning it's gone, leaving only the silence of the valley and the occasional noisy bird or cow.

Time seems to be traveling at some speed lately. In Rob Bell's new book, Love Wins (which is not nearly as controversial as I expected), he talks about us as being in time, but never of it. Because we were built and destined to be somewhere else beyond this world, we are never going to get comfortable with time. It's too slow, too fast, it flies, it lags, it goes without permission ("Where did the time go?"); and most of the time, there's not enough of it when we're having those epic discussions with the people we love.

I've already been in Africa for a little over four months now. That's hectic, as the South Africans would say. I do have to ask myself, where has the time gone?! Sometimes I feel that I would love for time to pass and me to be done with this chapter and on to the next. Other times, I never want this adventure to end, and it's almost halfway over... In these beautiful surroundings before me, I NEVER want time to pass. Oh just to spend a few years in this kind of peace and tranquility, not bothered by the world or people or things! But then I know that's not what I'm called to. God's creation is to enjoy, as it draws us nearer to our actual Creator, but the people of God's creation are His prized possessions... and they need attending. That's where we come in! It's all about LOVE.

Yesterday we hiked to a marvelous waterfall. Wow. I could have spent hours there. The view from that height was spectacular and then to turn around and face the power of this natural wonder. It was breathtaking. The bite of the water produced a crisp fresh air about the falls. You just breathe in deep, hoping you can harness that feeling forever. How to put into words something that words cannot describe? It's impossible. I bask.

I finish my coffee and quietly listen to the mountains complain to the earth. Herein lies tranquility & strong coffee.



-Kristen

the cederburg day 1

This morning, I find myself in an area known as Lemon Valley. Surrounded by peaceful farmland and pristine mountains. A place up in northwest South Africa called the Cederburg Wilderness. I almost didn't come. I almost let cultural differences and language barriers get in the way. When have I ever let that stop me before?? And I call myself a missionary?! A chance to escape into the wilderness with some wonderful people that have become like family to me. I shouldn't miss it!

Thankfully, I got my head screwed back on and decided to go. Now I sit here with my fresh cup of French press coffee (the best I've made so far, if I do say so myself), my journal, my kindle and a sunrise. 7 am never felt SO good! The pitter-patter of a light rain is soothing to my weary soul. It brings an indescribable life to everything. The sounds, the smells, the trees dancing to the beat of the droplets. There's just some kind of feeling out here. An unexplainable one, where you feel you are at the ends of the earth and out of sight of the world and people. You are at the mercy of only God: in a good way.

The sunrise naturally brings about a new day and with your soul, new mercies. Where the natural and spiritual meet. They are never truly separated. But being in the moan and drone of a new day in civilization, you find the beauty and newness of the morning lost in the dread of the day to come and the traffic to battle. Well, my coffee is cold now, but I'm still enjoying its company. The stillness of my surroundings warms me enough.

Yesterday we went on a small hike along the river for about an hour. Before we came to the base of the mountain to climb up, we saw a herd of goats all with newly birthed kids! It was just beautiful. Although, I did notice one thing: as the kids lost focus on their mothers, they would begin to cry out in fear. The mothers would normally respond with their individually identifiable bleat and the baby would then find her. In this case, the mothers were too busy grazing to notice their lost young crying out for them. I just then thought about our relationship with God. He would NEVER leave or forsake us. He is always near and if we thought we might have lost Him, then we just cry out, and He will immediately respond: not getting caught up in anything else, but our hearts and our lives. At times you feel lost, because you separated yourself from God... He moved on into another pasture and you were consumed with the present world around you.

"But take heart for I have overcome the world!" -John 16:33

Give Him your world, your life, your burdens, and He will gladly bear it. Don't be like a lost kid!

-Kristen

through the eyes of Levona:

Every time I go out to the farm, it never fails that my camera is immediately confiscated by one of the kids. They never do any harm; they simply want a go at their own version of photography. One of the girls, Levona, always ask for my camera. Sometimes I leave it in the car, just so she can’t drag it around the farm, but she knows me better than that: she usually asks if I left it in the car… And I just can’t say no to my precious farm kiddos.

Something that I noticed about her photography is different though. She always wants to take pictures of the babies. She will spend about 10 minutes taking pictures, and like clockwork she will disappear for another 30 minutes. In that time, she will walk around to all the shacks and each specific mother of the child she’s photographed. It’s as simple as that: the pictures are to show the mothers. I have other girls and boys who take my camera and take pictures of themselves (Judy) or chickens (Enrico), and then there’s Levona.

How much joy does a picture bring to a mother? My mom always looks back at my baby pictures and immediately starts reminiscing. No you don’t need pictures to substitute memories, but the two go hand in hand. A beautiful picture of your baby at birth… a beautiful picture of your baby at age 5, 10, 15… a beautiful picture of your baby as they graduate from high school or college. One day, all a mother might have is a picture. Every mother takes joy in the simplicity of a picture. I take joy in the simplicity or Levona’s actions. What an unknowingly selfless act by a young girl who shouldn’t know better.

There’s just something that can’t be said in a picture. That’s why words are words and pictures are pictures. Sights can describe themselves apart from words. No words can express the true feelings a mother has for a child, no less what she sees in a picture of them. The closest we come is love.

God can move and teach in the youngest, most innocent of children. Thank you Levona for that lesson in humility.

-Kristen

A song for home...

sorry for the background noise... the best i can do is photobooth videos!

love you all,

kristen

bffl.

This past week we had a school holiday (so no projects for me again), and half of the volunteers went on a road trip up the Garden Route. Lucky for me, with the holidays and with fewer people to worry about transport, I had time to be with my best friend before she left for home. It’s a strange feeling to think of being here without her. This was a dream and a vision for our lives that we shared for so long. It became a reality for us together, and although I knew I would eventually have to say goodbye the moment we arrived in Africa, it was still difficult to let her go.

"Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't say." -Anonymous

"We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere." -Tim McGraw

Shawna is my joy and my inspiration in a lot of ways. She has changed my life with her sweet spirit and huge love. I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without her. And that’s the truth! I watched her bring Christ to Africa and to those who needed Him, and I watched her love without thought of condition. I saw her more frustrated than I’ve ever seen her, but still she strived forward and pushed her own desires aside.

My heart does ache for my dear friend, but someone had to go and share the good times we’ve had here with the world back home. This adventure was not what we expected, but it was still exactly what God intended.

Shawna, your journey isn’t over yet! It’s only just begun. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for you. I also cannot wait until the next time I can give you a BIG hug. We began and ended our journey out at the beautiful beach town of Yzerfontein… such a beautiful, peaceful place. The epitome of you my sweet friend: a beautiful and peaceful beach: powerful waves, gorgeous sunsets, and lovely breezes. You refresh and calm all those around you. Take care of home for me, and never be too sad for my absence. Although time will make us wait, it will only be for a little while. Miss you more than words can say. I love you.

PS – “The Power & the Glory” will be awaiting your return with delicious iced coffee and a semi-comfortable indie setting… “Rawu rawu, there’s a ram in the bush!”

-Kristen :)

the hike!

This past weekend, a few of the volunteers (including me of course), led by Denzel, went on a hike in the mountains near Stellenbosch (the winelands). The mountain range was called “New Mountain” in Afrikaans. It was a brutal, but beautiful weekend.

“Be still and know that I am God.” –Psalm 46:10

That is about the only way I can describe the hike this weekend. The views, the stars, the excruciating pain; all glorious in their own way. There’s just something about being out in the wild-wide open spaces… the quiet… the stillness… so much that you can almost hear the world turn. There are times when it’s so silent, you wonder if all time has stopped. Just for a moment.

You then can hear the tiny whisper of God as His spirit blows about. There are times on a 3-day hike when you want to give up, pass out, die. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but when you see a mountain that still needs climbing when you are so close to the end, it’s hard not to get that sinking feeling.

Hiking is a brilliant metaphor for our lives with Christ… Not that you haven’t heard that before. There will always be mountains. There will always be pain. There will always be struggle before the end. We just have to push through to sense the relief of a summit or taste the victory of the end… the final stretch. We were never promised a perfect life, but we were promised a perfect love and a perfect grace. The mountains we face and climb only shape who we are. We become stronger with every step… every ache… every sinking feeling.

As we overcome our obstacles and trials, we are becoming who we ARE. Who we are truly meant to be.

-Kristen

Alternative Suffering

This week I have been sick with an awful sinus infection (brought upon by stretching myself too thin and singing A LOT), and therefore, I have taken a week off from projects and worship leading. But God is still teaching me…

Sometimes when I’m sick, and in turn, feeling useless, I wonder why this is my life? Why me? Why this plan, this face, this pain, this attitude, these talents? God, You have a funny way of putting things into perspective: Your perspective.

To doubt is human. To trust is God. One comes naturally, and the other we fight to experience in our own lives. We fight to experience Christ. We fight ourselves. We fight against the natural human inclination. We are called to sacrifice, to suffer as our Savior did. The ultimate suffering.

This week I have been battling sickness. A different kind of suffering, but it still changes my perspective and allows doubt to creep in. I hate being sick: the weakness, the pain, and the inability to do anything. It’s been a tough few days trying to act like everything is ok. I don’t want to be a burden, and more than anything, I hate being coddled. I get to this sick place because I push myself too hard. I don’t say no. I don’t spend enough time with God. In this state, I am experiencing a suffering of my own. The suffering I put myself through when I separate myself from God and people.

It is hard to be away from home right now. It’s easier to think about home and miss people when you’re a world away and not feeling good. There’s no one here that knows me well enough to understand that I don’t want to be touched or held or talked to. I just want to be. Only the closest people to me would understand that. It’s a little hard to escape the pity when you have 12 roommates. Lord, help me.

As my head throbs and my lungs seize, I can feel the pain of too much, and the suffering that comes with stubborn stupidity and lack of the word “no” in my vocabulary. I know I will eventually get well, but in this time, I have learned not to take advantage of my health. Not to take advantage of my time and my ministry here. When we try to run our lives, things don’t go right. That’s just a given. I’m ready to lean on Christ alone. The ultimate Physician.

Take my advice: rest when you “know” it’s necessary. Not when you “feel” it is, because frankly you may never “feel” that rest is necessary. Trust me, you will thank me later... :)

-Kristen

worship & a cup of coffee

This weekend… woof. Need I say more? It was a fantastic weekend, but utterly exhausting. I learned a lot about myself in this time and even more about worship. I feel like a broken record with every blog post: “I learned a lot about myself.” I don’t think God will ever stop showing me more. That’s the beauty of life!

I led worship at an Assembly of God church on Sunday morning and then helped lead at a non-denominational church in the evening. The two churches were far extremes of each other: the morning being ultra-responsive, and the evening being semi-lethargic. I realized that being in-tune with the Spirit in worship also means being in-tune with the attitudes and mindsets of the people in the room. The morning harbored a sense of freedom, like a free-flowing breeze: comfortable, lovely, refreshing. The evening harbored a sense of entrapment: people warring within themselves, holding on to their burdens, and new to the concept and freedom of musical worship.

Worship is life… it’s not just music. I lead musical worship, but it’s so much different than leading worship with your life. Sunday night, one of the volunteers who was at the church for worship came up to me to just thank me for a blessed time. I of course gave the glory to God, but then proceeded to explain to her my discoveries about worship. I described my experience in leading worship, like I was playing at a brick wall, etching away at the stone, and trying to shine any sort of light through the cracks. Some people let a little bit of their guard down, but not many. But it’s never about the masses in worship, it’s about the ONE. The lone sheep that strays. You leave the masses to find that one sheep. And maybe you don’t find or save them in your first venture out, but you get them closer to return. Then God does the rest.

Worship in music is a complete reflection of how you worship God daily. If you can’t get excited about your relationship with Christ in worship, then how can you get excited in your normal day-to-day walk? Music is just an added bonus to getting to worship God with our whole hearts and lives. It’s not necessary at all, but it is a joy… a blessing.

I know God has gifted me with the ability to lead worship musically, and I am so grateful and humbled. I pray for more opportunities to bring people to a closer place with God. And if I continue to play for the brick walls, eventually something will break. And regardless of the response, at least I can enjoy the worship!

I sit here with my cup of coffee, humbled by God’s sweet love. It is more boundless than I could ever know. God use me, but allow me to know my limits. I need to look at my own relationship with You sometimes. Here I am to worship.

-Kristen

cup of tea.

As I sit in the living room, listening to chill music, drinking my tea, surrounded by some of my international roomies: I can’t help but think of what brought me here. Drinking tea is a very European concept. We Americans wouldn’t just fire up a kettle and make a pot of tea for our guests, but now drinking tea has become my daily/nightly ritual. Right before bed, a cup of tea is down right soothing… And I really take the time to think and relax (which is awfully uncommon for me).

But anyways, back to “what brought me here?” How does God really orchestrate all of this? It’s clearly beyond me, but I can’t help but be amazed each and everyday I’m here; and more than that, humbled. I’m struggling this week though, and I’m not used to this feeling. I either never admit that I am having a hard time, or I just never let myself get this overwhelmed. I try to be too strong sometimes. Those that are closest to me know this fact.

Part of my struggle, I haven’t talked to my family in a couple weeks, and I haven’t talked to my sister since she was life-flighted to the hospital for her heart. It’s very hard to be away from home when the people closest to you are struggling. I just hope they can feel my heart and love for them all the way from Africa. In this time, I am forced to identify my limits… that’s a good thing though! Everyone should have a good understanding of how much they can handle. BOUNDARIES are such an important thing in ministry work! But sometimes we need to reach our limit to be aware of it.

Surprisingly, my bedtime is now 9pm… As I watch the minutes tick by waiting for 9pm, I can hear my heart beat. I can hear myself think. I can hear the doubts and fears. I can hear the pain. I can feel the reminder of Table Mountain that I climbed on Saturday… like bitter scars. Luckily, today the sunset was beautiful. Blazing on high from the front window of the house. It made me ever so grateful for the pain and struggle and for a God that can overcome all of it.

Favorite moment this week: At Accordian Primary School this week, we talked about “Values.” The students had to create their own planets and instill their own values and decide on laws. Many of the students decided on laws and rules like no littering, no violence and no smoking. Then the last group read their rules: everyone will have shelter, they will respect each other, and no child will be without parents. If only we could make that a law. YFC South Africa was founded with the fatherless child in mind. Every youth needs love and nurturing. They need those people in their life that are going to push them and inspire them and provide for them. It becomes so real when 11 year olds recognize such a need. In a moment and through a simple illustration, God reminded me why I am here in South Africa.

Prayer requests – Pray for the youth of the nation of South Africa. Pray that they can have those people in their lives to inspire them and raise them up. Pray for me to keep my focus, even in the hard times. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” –Phil. 4:13

-Kristen :)

And now for some pictures:

A sunset to be grateful for...

The summit of Table Mountain: accomplished.

Accordian Primary: a class working on their assignments.

HUMILITY

Well, my schedule is a little different AGAIN… Instead of going to Symphony on Mondays, we now go on Thursdays. And Excelsior is still not confirmed, but if it does work out, I will go there on Tuesdays. So now Monday has turned in to a sort of office day, where I can help work on proposals and other things for YFC in general.

This Monday in particular was an interesting one… As soon as I arrived at the office, I was leaving for the Cape Theological Seminary. One of our projects is to come in on Tuesdays and help them with admin type things, so they asked us to make a presentation for their Chapel on Monday. Little did I know what was to come… Denzel, one of the YFC staff had just said I would share a testimony of what it’s like in the projects, and that I might talk about some upcoming events. No big deal, I can handle that. But before I knew it, I had a guitar strapped on me, and I was leading worship. Not my guitar, but I just happened to open my big mouth and say that I would lead worship “if I had my guitar with me.” BIG mistake. God just loves to surprise me, I think. He wants to destroy my expectations and my ideas. I didn’t think I would be leading worship, boy was I wrong!

The presentation ended up being a great thing. Just to connect with the students and faculty there and potentially use them in the projects. I was more blessed by the fact that I met a woman from South Carolina and a man from Montgomery, AL. I didn’t realize how much I missed home until I heard his southern twang. What a beautiful thing! Never thought I would say that. We talked about football, grits, Starbucks and all was well with the world.

Since you pretty much know my weekly schedule now, there’s no point in walking you through each and every day. I will just give you some of the highlights and quotable quotes. First, SOS teens was particularly powerful this week. On Wednesday, we talked about friendship and how you are as a friend. We specifically talked about wearing “masks.” What mask do you wear to hide how you really feel sometimes? The youth truthfully responded. We got REAL, so to speak. This was a breakthrough for them! Usually it is a struggle to get them to go deeper, but for whatever reason, they felt completely comfortable going there. I definitely believe God is opening hearts, especially when we pray for that.

Another very cool moment this week was at Symphony High School on Thursday. Since our schedule was moved from Monday to Thursday, there is a sweet girl who no longer has class with us. She’s very disappointed about this, so she decided to come sit with us during her interval, which is a time for them to break, chill or eat lunch. At one point during this time, she turned to us and asked pretty abruptly, “What are you doing here? I mean, why would you come and teach a bunch of kids that really don’t care about anything you have to say?” I sat in shock for a few seconds, but immediately responded, “Well, frankly, I know that most of the kids here don’t care a lick about what I say, but maybe just maybe, if there was one student that needed to hear something, then all of this would be worth it.” She smiled, nodded and said, “Yeah, but I bet that’s hard.” I replied, “Yep, but we care, so that’s why we’re here.”

It was a beautiful moment, where God just flung wide open a door of opportunity to preach love into this girl’s life. It is hard to work in the schools and not be as open about God, especially when you have all different religions represented. Multiple Muslim girls were wearing their headdresses. We have to be careful with our words, but obviously God makes a way for us to get through to these young people despite the caution. I’m excited for more opportunities to come!

To end out a fantastically busy week, I got a call on Thursday to let me know I was leading worship at a local church called Kaleidoscope. I had visited two weeks earlier and before I knew it, I was invited to lead worship! Yikes! I can thank Uncle Rolf for that one. He was giving the sermon this morning and told the pastor of the church (Pastor Glen) he would take care of everything, including worship (aka, calling me). I was very worried all this weekend, and into this morning, but it never fails that God just takes care of everything. My worries and doubts disappear with the first chord, as I start leading worship, and after that it’s just Him. Despite me, God moves and uses my worship; His worship. Rolf actually asked me to share one of my songs more lovingly dubbed, “The Car Song,” for the offertory song. It’s a more embarrassing song that I wrote after I had a bad day and a bad car experience, but it was amazing how God used that song to speak to some of the congregation members. At the end of the service, Pastor Glen asked me to come back up and do one more song. I chose to do “All Who Are Thirsty,” which was co-written by Glen Robertson, the pastor of the church. I thought it might be an interesting experience to play his own song for him. He was very excited to hear that it was such a popular song in the states. I’m sure it is an amazing thing to see your music blessing people a world away!

Wow, what a week! Sorry for the lengthiness of this entry… For those of you who made it this far, you are my true friends. I have really been missing home this week. There was a Chrysalis Boy’s Flight this weekend, and I’m not there to see the life change, but I definitely know it’s going on! I’ve been praying for all of you there at Blue Lake right now! Fly with Christ!

Prayer request: My family… just pray hard for my family, specifically my sister’s health and my brother’s strength and perseverance. Also pray for more opportunities with students in the classroom!

-Kristen

The Schedule.

My little Bevin at the farm :)

Some more sweet girls at the farm

Moyo with the Pinelands girls!

We officially started all our projects last week, but this week everything changed. With the blessing of so many volunteers, it was impossible to let us choose where we wanted to be. So instead we were placed and replaced in all the projects. So I actually have a whole new schedule!

Monday: Symphony High School – teaching life skills class; SOS teens in the evening for bible study

Tuesday: Devotion & cleaning day; the farm teens in the afternoon

Wednesday: Accordian Primary – teaching life skills class; SOS teens in the evening for a more practical study

Thursday: To be confirmed – Excelsior High School – teaching life skills class; the farm teens in the afternoon

Friday: Staff meeting/planning/catch up in the office day!

A pretty packed schedule, but I was very excited to see that I was working with all teen groups. I mean don’t get me wrong, I love my farm babies and the kids at SOS, but I definitely know I’m more gifted to work with a teenage group.

This week we were unable to go into Accordian Primary, because they had a standardized test, and Excelsior was unable to confirm, so we began the week in Symphony! I actually LOVE teaching at the high school! It is draining, because we constantly have to fight for their attention, but I had no idea I would enjoy it so much. My mom has always wanted me to be a teacher, so I guess she can thank YFC for throwing me head first into the class room!

The teens at SOS are so dear to me, even after this short week. They are so hungry for God. It is amazing to see them step up and lead discussion, as well as make sure everyone is quiet and attentive. They all have their own wonderful personalities and senses of humor. It never fails that we are rolling in laughter most of the time that we are together. Even with their difficult backgrounds and testimonies, they are faithful and hungry for more. They inspire me!

Because of all the extra time in the office, Jorine (a volunteer from Holland) and I were able to clean out the closet at the office. You might think that isn’t a big deal, but if you could have seen the closet, you would understand. We were pulling out papers and manuals and videos from the 80s! It was hot and messy work, but we had a lot of fun doing it. And in the end, you can now actually step inside the closet and touch the back wall, which was unheard of just a week ago. If you really want to bond with someone, clean out a very messy closet together. You’ll learn a lot about each other… J

I am beginning to see God’s purpose for me here. It’s easy to get caught up in my expectations, but I’m finally releasing my self to His will. God use me!

Prayer requests: pray that I can trust God with my purpose here. I trusted Him enough to quit my job and come to Africa, why can’t I trust Him now?! Pray for open hearts and minds for the teens that we are working with.

-Kristen

the starting line

Sunset at Blouberg

Vissershok athletic day

Little Tabasa... SOS Kids

Farm Creche sweeties

We have officially started the projects… All this preparation has lead up to this week. We are still trying to find our perfect placement, and where we belong in the projects. I have definitely been restless and ready for the projects to begin. I think all of us have. But now all our waiting has paid off!

This week I went back to the farm and to SOS kids. I was very surprised to be doing nothing with teenagers. This week I spent mostly working with children, and I enjoyed it (surprisingly)! Working with youth back home, I figured I would be immediately placed in a setting working with teens, but humility struck, as I was placed with the younger age groups. I love the precious children at the farm crèche. We just come in the morning and brush the little one’s teeth, wash their faces and give them something to eat and drink. Then we do a little bible story with them. They only speak Afrikaans, so Trevor, one of the local volunteers, helps with the translation. We hang out and play for a little longer and then head out.

Later in the day, I went to the SOS Village. We tried to put on the kids program we planned for earlier in the day, but we didn’t get the building we usually have due to some kind of training (welcome to Africa). After trying to vie for the kid’s attention, we ended up playing outside with the kids for an hour or so. It was fun, but as they say here in South Africa, it was hectic!

Wednesday night we had a braai (bbq) at Rolf (the national director of YFC South Africa) & Lizzie Weichardt’s. All of the volunteers were finally here, and it was time to celebrate! I had the opportunity to lead worship for everyone, and Rolf gave us a good word. It was nice to just enjoy some time with everyone together: all the YFC staff, plus both houses, and all the new volunteers that had just arrived.

Thursday some of us went to help Vissershok with their athletics days. Vissershok is a school that is near the Dunoon Township and the farm. A lot of the kids we see at the farm go to this primary school. We arrived early in the morning to catch the bus to go with them to their event. We arrived and spread out to help with the different track events. It is literally a track & field meet for all the local schools. Kids as young as 5 were competing! I helped with the boy’s long jump, and I can safely say some of those boys have bright futures in the Olympics. Aside from the horrendous burn I got from sitting in the sun for 6 hours, it was a good day supporting our Vissershok kiddos.

Tired from a full week, I happened to glance out the window Thursday night to see the loveliest sunset… It reminded me of just how big and beautiful my God is. However exhausted I am, I know God is with me. He even wishes me sweet dreams by painting a gorgeous sky as the sun retreats behind the horizon. I mean, I’ve seen a lot of sunsets, but there was just something special about this one… it spoke to me: a message of rest and reassurance.

God is my refuge.

-Kristen

Team Work

Team building!

Ventors @ Stellenbosch University

SOS kids: best friends picture :)

Camp's Bay... beautiful.

Again we are still getting used to things around here. We are also adding to our numbers every week. People are getting back from vacations, road trips, and also arriving from other countries to come serve. Eventually we will have 12 people in our house! Right now we aren’t quite there yet though. It is definitely nice to get used to living in the house without everyone being here. It might be a little too hectic if everyone was here in this crucial/confusing time. I’m excited to get to know everyone though, and become a little family.

Tuesday was a “team building” day. We drove out to Kylemore, which is near Stellenbosch and the wine lands. It’s a beautiful place: a lush valley with surrounding peaks and vineyards. I could honestly describe it as a “low ropes” course in the states. Lots of different activities to challenge us individually, but especially as a group. Despite our attitudes going into the day, it ended up being an amazing thing for all of us. It really did allow us to learn more about one another and grow closer together as a team. One of my favorite parts was towards the end, where we did an encouragement circle. We split up into houses, and as the Blouberg house, we had to say nice things to the Pinelands house. It was very powerful, because I don’t get that much of a chance to talk to the guys and gals in the other house. And it was just a blessing to hear what people had to say to me. We forget how much a little encouragement can do for our lives.

Wednesday was more team training with a public speaking and active listening session in the morning followed by an afternoon trip to the SOS Children’s Village. This is essentially a “village” where children and teens alike stay and live. Most houses hold 8 youth and 1 housemother. These children have all different stories and backgrounds. Some have good relationships with their parents and some don’t even know their parents. But this village is a good environment for them to interact with other youth and find a family of sorts to look out for them. We work with the kids and teens separately throughout the week once we start the projects back up.

This week was also the week of randomness complete with a trip to Stellenbosch, the University to a thing called Ventors (sp?). The residential housing facilities are all like little clubs and they are in charge of putting on a sort of show for everyone that comes. It’s a huge event! Thousands of people come from all over. We were told to stay close, because you can easily lose someone in the crowds in a couple seconds. It was a very unique experience to say the least.

We also were able to go to one of the prettiest beaches here on Saturday, Camp’s Bay. It’s absolutely gorgeous. I will post some pictures, so you can see. It was just nice to unwind after a long week of information processing, and enjoy God’s beautiful creation. Mmmmm…

Prayer requests: pray for the team as a whole that we start becoming closer and that we can work through whatever issues; pray for my direction here... trying to find my niche!

-Kristen

walking downtown.

This week has been a little different... Different in a good way. We have been more active at least! Beginning Monday we had our cleaning day, plus a house meeting with Andre to give us the schedule for the upcoming week.

We started off on Tuesday going to see some of the projects in the hospital. We didn't get to go inside the pre- and post-abortion counseling facilities, but Anika (one of the international volunteers from Holland) gave us the entire history on YFC's involvement there and exactly what Options entails. Abortions are legal in South Africa, so it is difficult to prevent them. But with the pre-abortion counseling, some women choose to have their babies instead of getting an abortion. If they choose to go through with the abortion though, YFC is still there to pray for them and counsel them after the fact.

We also got to see the Kangaroo Mums. These are women who carry their premature babies in a swaddling wrap on their chest for weeks while they are recovering. The program there is just to help make these women comfortable, give them something to do and love on them while they are waiting for their babies to grow and get healthy.

We also got to go to the New Life house. This is a home where moms can go who want to give their babies up for adoption. It's a safe house for them, while they are pregnant, and for a few weeks following. They get to pick out the adoptive parents, and they get proper prenatal care. The women are so sweet and are also very bored, so they are very thankful for our involvement with them!

On Wednesday, we ventured downtown to a couple museums. The first being the District 6 museum and the second being the Slave Lodge, which has been converted into a museum. You left both places very humbled. If you don't know the history on the apartheid and how things were here in the past, even back to the early days of colonization, it would be something to Wikipedia. It's amazing to see how much this country and its people have gone through. And it wasn't a century ago that people were suffering... it was 1994. It is still now. The segregation, the oppression, the bitterness. It's all there. South Africa is truly an amazing and beautiful place, and you begin to notice that more as you look deeper, and learn about the progress. They still have a long way to go, but they have come so far!

We then proceeded to go to Company's Garden downtown. It's a beautiful little place with psychotic squirrels and pigeons, but that makes it all the more interesting. The squirrels will jump in your lap to eat your lunch if you're not careful. For lunch we had these sandwiches called "Gatsbies." Basically, it's the most unhealthy thing you could eat ever. It has everything on it... french fries, some sort of meat, cheese, cucumbers, straight grease... I mean, don't get me wrong, I ate it all. But I can safely say I didn't eat for a whole day following. Great meal replacement plan! It was definitely a South African experience that had to happen.

Thursday, we went to the farm... First in the morning to meet the young children and Oma, a sweet grandmother who is a good friend of the YFC interns. Later in the afternoon, we returned to play with all the kids who had come back from school. There are all ages who live there. The farm is literally a farm, where men are hired to work for a white wealthy farmer, and he gives them some property to live on. They don't have many resources to build their homes, so a lot of the houses resembled township shacks, but they work with what they have. These men bring their families, and families bring friends and aunts and grandmothers, and before you know it, there's a whole community of people! And puppies... There are probably as many dogs as people. The living situation isn't perfect, and oftentimes the workers get paid for their work in wine instead of money. On some mornings during the week, we run a creche with the little ones that don't go to school. It's pretty simple: we brush their teeth, wash their faces, and give them food and drink. Then we tell a bible story and sing songs with them and hang out for a while. In the afternoons we'll just show up and play soccer, cricket, or just love on the kids. They are starved for love and attention, because their home lives are so complicated. I love it at the farm... I love getting dirty and sweaty playing soccer, and then having a baby wipe his nose on my shirt. That's real ministry, and it's beautiful!

Friday is always staff meeting... I helped lead worship for the first time, and it was awesome. I just love that small group type worship setting. It's my favorite by far. I have been doing a bit with music since I've been here, but I definitely try to play guitar often, just to make sure I keep it up. And I have written a song already! It's easy to get frustrated sometimes with the random schedules and the amount of people you are living with, so it's nice to escape and just write a song. I will post the song soon on facebook somewhere. So keep an eye out!

Most of my posts won't be this long... There's just so much going on in these few weeks, and I want to get you acclimated to my schedule and what I do regularly, as well as the awesome things I'm learning in the process! Hope you all are doing well, and I miss you a ton!

Prayer requests: patience... big time. discernment - to know where I should be in the projects. for the people of South Africa in general - they have been through a lot and there is definitely more room for growth!

-Kristen

my new home

Table Mountain - 1/2 mile from my house!

Camp's Bay - the most beautiful beach ever

Windy day in Blouberg... Windsurfers

Hawk's Bay - just gazing

welcome to cape town, south africa! my home away from home... if you are reading this, then be prepared to journey with me for a year, as i live in work in this beautiful city. so far it has been quite an adventure!

when shawna and i first arrived, our wonderful friend kyle weichardt (who is the son of the national director of yfc here in south africa) picked us up from the airport. we were starving, so we made a quick trip to mcdonald's. definitely felt like we were home there for a second until we pulled into the drive-thru on the opposite side! all roads are backwards from what we know in the states and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. crazy! then we had to wait while 4 boys WALKED through the drive-thru... that's not even allowed in the states. lol. welcome to africa!!

the next morning shawna and i found out that we would be separated into different houses... not what we expected, and for that fact, it was very difficult to separate. but we were definitely willing to see what God had in store for each of us in our own households. shawna ventured over to pinelands which is more inland, and i ventured over to blouberg which is a house on the coast. eventually, we realized that the living situations were perfect for who we are... God totally made that happen. He's just awesome like that.

i moved into blouberg and reconnected with some of the international interns i met at youth week, but also met some new ones. so many countries are represented in my house! germany, holland, england, northern ireland, america! it's exciting to see so many cultures converge. it's just like south africa in a way... :)

the house is wonderful... beautiful! right on the beach... totally perfect for me, and i seriously have to pinch myself sometimes when i watch the sunset over the water every night. it's like a glimpse of heaven everyday! it's great to just escape out to the water front sometimes... i can honestly feel God's presence there with me. the girls that i live with make it that much more enjoyable. even though there's a lot of us, they are all spectacular and can teach me so many things! my roommate mirjam is just perfect... we go to bed at the same time and usually wake up at the same time. and that's not the only reason why she's amazing: she just loves beyond herself. you can hear, see and feel her love. it's been awesome to just grow closer with her in only a few weeks. and she lets me have a lot of closet space :)

things in the house are pretty regular every week... one day a week, we have a night where we cook dinner with one of the housemates. then all of use enjoy dinner together like a little family. we also have tuesdays as a cleaning day plus devotion in the morning. i am really excited to see the ministry that could just come out of all of us living and growing together in the same house!

so i've really just been relaxing, getting to know the girls in the house, and figuring out how things are done around here. i also got my hand at driving! took my driver's test and passed! holla... i can now officially drive backwards to what i know. you should be proud. i'll try to be careful... can't promise anything about the south african drivers! yikes. more updates to come soon. stick close to facebook... pictures and updates are posted as much as i can weekly!

prayer requests - pray for our house: for good attitudes and less frustration! pray for safety on the roads :)

love to ya,

k10