#C3Africa

"Make me walk along the path of your commands,

for that is where my happiness is found." Psalms 119:35

        ***WARNING: this may be a long post, so be prepared.***Words can hardly describe what happened in my heart while in South Africa. Everything from Sunday morning church on our first day to the youth event we held on our last evening there. It was all so wonderful. 

       We left at noon on Friday and arrived at 5:30pm (they are 6hrs ahead) their time. We all had those jitters of being in another country-especially Africa. We had about a 4 or five hour travel time to where we were staying and got settled in for the night. Sunday's church service was great. As we were driving down the dirt road (that was hardly drive-able yet considered a good road), the jitters began to settle and emotion started to set in. As we approached the church, my heart was pounding. I saw the "C3 Church Real Hope for Real People in a Real World" sign out front in a place all could see! Although my ears were ringing after service(I was right in front of the speakers), I walked away with more faith than when I had walked in. The kids just wanted to sit on our laps, Pastor Gideon preached an AWESOME message, and everyone, that I saw, was so full of joy.
       Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were AMAZING. We got to play with the kids, put on a VBS style kids event, kill chickens and later feed them to the kids(meat is a rare meal), paint people's houses, clean up their yards(found some very interesting things growing...), visit the public school and talk to the students about the church, host a youth event, and pray for the students in the community.
      Oh my gracious. I wish you could have seen the youth event. They said we would be lucky if we had one student, due to the fact that teenagers there are more interested in drinking and smoking than in what people claim to be 'church'. The church was overflowing! We didn't even have enough seats for everyone. But I'm telling you, that was the most fun I've ever had at a youth event outside of our home church here in Clayton. I got to be a part of leading some worship, along with Sydney, Matt playing acoustic, and James playing three buckets for drums!We had a dance off and everybody went crazy! You think tribal dancing, but no. It was legit. It was a joke for a while, but some lady got really into it and started to "back it up" on me...yeah...Anyways, Lee brought an awesome word about God being our Father. Most of the kids there do not have good fathers-if any at all. At the end, we got to pray over the students and give them a FOREVER wrist band to remind them that God will never leave them.
       We had to part with the sweet village of Mganduzweni on Wednesday to head to Swaziland. Yes, we did go on a game drive (safari), and saw some awesome sights of lions, rhinos, elephants and many more. I even ate some wildebeest! Not my favorite taste. Friday we were able to visit GLA-Global Leadership Academy for Children's Cup. It was fantastic. They are doing some awesome training there. We got to visit the preschool carepoint....ah! Look, those preschoolers walk up to an hour to get to school each day...I don't know how high school kids complain about riding the bus to school here. These preschoolers have more Bible verses memorized in English than most Christians I know! It was great to be able to play with them and hug them for the time that we were there...you never know what kind of home life they are going back to when they leave school. After that, we visited the I Am Not Forgotten Home. These are kids who had such horrible family lives that the king allowed for them to be put into an orphanage(there are no orphanages for kids in Swaziland unless the child is in an exceptionally terrible situation).
        I have cried many, many times since being back in the States. God is doing something so wonderful there and I'm glad that I got to be a part of it for a week. I don't know much of what to say to people when they ask how the trip went, but I just keep praying that God calls me back. It was home. It IS home. There are faces of precious children that I pray over every night-hoping that I will be able to see them again. My heart is constantly overwhelmed with waves of compassion that I never even realized I had. But for this one week that I got to spend in Africa, I know that God did his thing through me and through the rest of the team that I was with. I watched my peers glow with the light of Jesus when they were silly dancing for the kids, when they cried their way through cutting of chicken's heads just to serve the kids, when they greeted the youth walking into the event when they had those intimate moments with the cooks, kids and neighbors that meant so much. I could go on, but I know they have their own stories. :) South Africa is forever in my heart, but hopefully in my future as well!
       Thanks to our super cool missionary leaders, Chris, Blanche, Mark and our outstanding driver, Sofiso! If you would like to hear more details about the trip, I would be glad to share, just ask!

On a side note: I am still raising support for this trip! I have $800 left to raise out of $1500. I am ready to do some hard work for it, so let me know if you have any jobs that you need to be done-I'm your girl! Anything helps. I would like to get the rest of my money turned in as soon as I possibly can. a HUGE thank you to those who have already been a part of supporting me...your letters are on the way!

I bid you all a good day!

Five Years From Now

"No, dear brothers and sisters,
I have not achieved it, but I focus
on this one thing: Forgetting the past
and looking forward to what lies ahead."
Philippians 3:13

I think a lot. I think about many different things that seem strange to the world...or maybe not, but I am one of the few who vocalize those random thoughts. I think about food, I think about getting my eyebrows and nails done, I think about how it feels like a car wash in my mouth when I brush my teeth, I think about what I think about(anybody else?), I think about what other people might think of me, and I think a lot about who I will be in 5 years.

Not all of these thoughts are important, but I always questioned where I would be in five years from the current time of question. I finally realized that I can totally determine were I'm at in five years. The decisions I choose today are what make tomorrow closer or further from where I want to be. If I think about where I want to be in five short years, I can't even give specifics to myself, but I know for a fact that wherever I'm at, I want it to be helping people. Not just helping people temporarily, but helping them to get back on their feet(metaphorically) to provide for themselves. I want to see people with broken hearts find hope in Jesus, and those who are broken physically, to find healing in the Savior. I want my choices today to cause that dream to happen...not for my sake, but for the sake of the Gospel.

Going to Africa is such a privilege and honor for me because of this! I don't have to wait five years to take Jesus around the world, I can start now! As of now, I have $300 raised, and still have $1200 to go. If I can be completely honest with you, I have always had a hard time fundraising. I am uncomfortable asking for money. The only reason I do so now is because this whole trip far above me. It's not just sending me over to Africa to have a good experience. This is planting seeds for the community of Mganduzweni for years and years to come to be pursued by Jesus Christ. It's not just a group of natives there, it is a community of individual human beings that God created in his image! I am more than willing to work hard to earn this money. Here are a few things that I am offering: mowing, cleaning, making bracelets, babysitting, and, even though there are not many ways to use these, I sing, play acoustic guitar and piano if there are any events that you know need some tunes!

On this day, more than 2000 years ago, Jesus was laying in a tomb with Satan thinking he had the victory. *SPOILER ALERT*: Jesus comes to life tomorrow and steals back the WIN for good!!! Happy Easter everyone! Enjoy hanging with your families and celebrating the death and life that Jesus went through for YOU!

Follow You Into The World

"I'll follow You into the homes of the broken,
I'll follow You into the world.
I'll meet the needs for the poor and the needy, God,
I'll follow You into the world.
I give all myself to You."

         As I start this journey to Africa, it's becoming more than just a ten day trip. I'm longing for this lifestyle. I am going to Africa-not because I want to have cool stories to tell when I get back, but because God is alive in my heart and he asks for nothing less than all of me committed to serving Him. Being a Christian isn't about petty arguments over what style of worship is better or who's prayers are more spiritual. It's not about good intentions-promising God that you'll reach out to your co-worker who doesn't know Jesus. We try to complicate things that are so simple. James 1:27 "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." We have so many voices speaking into our minds of what true religion looks like. 

         What does it matter when people approve what you do if God does not? I don't want to get to the gates of heaven with only good intentions. I'm following God to the deepest parts of the world. In May it will be Africa, but tomorrow, it will be people I usually pass by while on my phone in the halls of church or on the streets. I believe wholeheartedly that God will breathe life back into the village of Mganduzweni and into the lives of every man, woman and child there.

        God, you are awesome. Thank you for knowing me and loving me despite my many mistakes. I pray over the village of Mganduzweni and all who live there. I cast out every spirit of fear, destruction and hopelessness from the village and ask that you rest your Spirit of grace and peace over them. Satan has no place in their homes or on the land. Please be preparing the hearts of those who will be traveling there in future months ahead-that you would give us wisdom and guidance in our conversations and interactions. Let your Name be lifted high in everything we do and say. We give you all the glory and honor. Amen

Us+Serving=HOPE

Well, here I am, sitting on my computer trying to find ways to raise support to go to Africa. I never thought I would be doing this! I created a Facebook page giving a brief description of what this trip is all about. Check it out:

"I am so excited for the opportunity to go to Africa with the Leadership College this May! This is not a trip with the goal of personal gain in any way, but rather to bring HOPE to the village and people of Mganduzweni, South Africa. When I say hope, this is what I mean: meeting their physical needs by providing water(biggest need in the village), food for the children, better homes, and also their eternal needs by providing a healthy church family for them to be in relationship with, and most importantly, the grace, hope and love that we have in Jesus.

Here's the details: I am needing to raise $1500 to make this trip possible. I am willing to do whatever to make that happen, but I need your help! If you need any work done around your house, babysitter, etc. I am your girl! Donations are gladly accepted as well. I will keep you updated with how the budgets are going and where I am at! I leave fro Africa May 16, but have some time after that to have the money raised. I would love for you to be a part of this journey! Above monetary needs, what I value most are your prayers. Not just for me, but very much so for the people in this village. Pray that God would be preparing and already working in their hearts!"

My heart has always been to serve others, but I want this trip to be more than just serving. I want the precious people of Mganduzweni to see Jesus when they see me, or members of my group serving. That Christianity isn't just a religious group to be a part of, but that knowing Jesus is HOPE. Please pray with me to see this happen!

Not Your House

Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 "As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. ² Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.
³ Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool."
I first paid attention to this passage a few weeks ago on a beach trip. I was asking God to give me insight into worship because I was so confused with all the ways people were telling me to worship. As I read it, I didn't like it. I don't like NOT speaking my mind-it rarely happens. I started soaking it up, though, because after all, wasn't what I had asked God for? He showed me a few things:
   1. He has something better to say.
Do you ever get into a conversation with a friend who never stops talking about themselves or what they are going through? The whole time you've had some advice to offer them, but they just won't shut up so you can tell them that you are there to help them through it? Maybe you have, maybe you haven't, but I know we can be "that friend" a lot in our relationship with God. A lot of times, all we think to do in prayer or conversation with Him is to complain about our situation, ask for favors and reach for his pocket rather than his heart. It's just the natural thing for our flesh to do. It takes the unatural, the Holy Spirit in us to break that barrier and listen. If we would stop talking, we just might know His voice well enough to hear what He wants to say. Undoubtedly, his words will never steer us wrong. He loves it when we pour our hearts out, but in His church is where He wants to speak.
   2. His house is holy.
Walking into God's house is first of all, a great privilege, seeing that in many countries, you can be killed for it. Taking advantage of God's house by polluting it with our complaints is not what should happen.The Church is a place for broken people and it's where people are healed and put back together, but it is also God's house. You wouldn't pollute a hospital with garbage, so don't pollute the church with it either. Sit in a moment with God and learn to enjoy His presence.
   3. He doesn't need me, I need Him.
I like the way the Message version puts it in verse 2. "God's in charge-not you." I have problems, you have problems. We all have problems. The biggest problem when we have a problem is that we try to solve it all by ourselves! When I was a kid, I remember always telling my dad, "I can do it by all myself!" I tried, but when I let my dad, who had much more experience and knowledge about the situation, help me it was not as broken as when I tried alone. I still do that to God too. It's hard for me to accept help in anything, even when I really need it! I'm a work in progress just like you and He's shown me that when I try to fix myself "by all myself" I come back with the same problem because it wasn't fixed properly. He's my Perfect Dad who mends all and heals all. I'm good at breaking things, but fixing is one of His specialties.
So, really, this passage  of scripture had nothing to do with my style of worship, rather my heart. The first step to finding the "right" way to worship starts with your heart. Where is your heart when you stand before God? Focused on you or on Him?

Living to Give Honor

I'm smiling. I am incredibly blessed and the things that I think of aren't even the start of the list of blessings in my life. Lastnight, Pastor Dino Rizzo spoke at First Wednesday in my home church, C3. He gave a powerful message on "You Just Never Know." He made some very good points about how we never know who's eternity we are influencing and that our moments mean so much more than how we think of them. Every moment we have is an opportunity to help change someone's eternity-whether it be life or death. Another point that he made was "HONOR+HUMILITY=IMPACT." In Romans 16 Paul is taking time to thank people in his life that have impacted him or blessed him in some way. He even took timeto thank the director of public works in a city. That's honor. When we constantly take time to recognize the efforts people have made in our lives, we realize more that we couldn't have done without others. You can't have humility without honor and you can't truly give honor when you are not humble. Therefore, your life will have no impact on anyone else's. Today, just take time to thank people for the impact they have made in your life.

God Thoughts

1 Corinthians 2: 11-12 is such a great passage. To know that we have access to God’s thoughts is something incredible. God put His Spirit in us to guide us through life, but also to take us into depths of Christ. God's Spirit is the same as He is. Only our soul's have access to our thoughts. No one else can know what we are thinking. The Father, Spirit and Son are one, therefore, with the Spirit living and dwelling within us, we can know God's thoughts. The key is dividing our thoughts from God's. As different as they are, people tend to see their thoughts as God's thoughts sometimes. In Psalms 94, God states that our thoughts are worthless. Note that He says our THOUGHTS are worthless. Not us. As much as it may hurt, God doesn't need us. He doesn't need our thoughts because we can never compare to His wisdom and knowledge. Instead, He chose us, and gave us the opportunity to know what plans He has for us, and the things He is thinking. How cool would it be if everyone thought GOD thoughts?