Sometimes in life we pray for simple things and the Lord decides to just blow us away with more than we could have ever even fathomed. As I sit here in this moment that's exactly how I am feeling. Lately I have been finding myself getting really discouraged with my time here and my thirst for ministry and relationships with the people here was just not being quenched. I was tired of going to ministry each day having to re-ask the kids their names, and still knowing nothing about them. I ached to just know the people and to be able to minister in their lives. I wasn't content with the ministry I was involved in, I wanted more. I began praying for the Lord to open up doors for ministry. This is the part where God decided to blow me away. All within 48 hours I was introduced to 3 potential ministry opportunities.

One afternoon our team was given an opportunity to do an ATL as they call them here. ATL stands for Ask The Lord. Basically what we do is just start praying for the Lord to guide us to the place he wants us to be. My team of three other girls and I began to pray and when we were done Kayla really felt like we should go to Koko's house. Koko is a little boy that used to come to Itemba who God has really laid on Kayla's heart. Koko is only 5, his mother is gone and his dad is an alcoholic, he's never around but when he is, he is wasted. Nandipha, Koko's ten year old sister is forced to care for both Koko and their seven year old brother. Being just a child herself Nandipha is really struggling to meet the needs of the boys and so Koko rarely bathes or changes his clothes. It has gotten to the point that he refuses to go to Itemba anymore because the kids make fun of him and tell him to leave because he smells so badly. So as we visited the children at their shack Kayla got the idea to take him over to Itemba to give him a bath. Nandipha had stolen my heart minutes after meeting her and so I jumped on the opportunity to bring her along as well, so while they bathed Koko, Nandipha and I just hung out at the church. The Lord has just overwhelmed my heart for this little girl. It's amazing how God works because he has just put such a love in both mine and Kayla's hearts for this family and so we have both committed to going on the weekends to help teach Nandipha how to do laundry so the kids can have clean clothes and we are picking them up to bring them to church on Sunday. It's really sweet also that their house is on the way to Itemba which is the church we go to and our ministry site all week so each day we pass their house at least twice so we can stop by and visit. So yea that is one of the ministry opportunities God has basically placed into my lap.

The second possibility is with a program called DOG's which stands for Disciples of God. Ever since discipling girls at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission last summer I have really had a heart for working with teenagers. My ministry at Itemba is mainly with children and so I began praying that the Lord would open up an opportunity for me to work with teens. Well God answered that prayer within days. I was talking to Anameika, one of the ladies I have been working with this week and asked her if she knew of any teen programs I could be involved in. She informed me of DOG's and invited me to come that day to check it out., I did and oh my gosh it was amazing yet totally out of my comfort zone! I went last night all by myself, there was only one other American there and I only knew a handful of people in whom were all too busy to talk to me. So there I sat all alone, but no that wasn't the end, then they began worshipping. Now let me tell you when Africans worship they do not just stand and sing like we do in America, they full fledge jump dance and bellow praises to the Lord. So there I was in a room full of strangers forced to jump and dance something that DOES NOT come naturally I have no rhythm whatsoever...let me tell you, never before have a felt so out of place! But despite the extreme discomfort of the entire situation (which is what being in a totally different culture is all about) the night was great. They had a special night where some of the high school students were able to share their testimonies of what God had been doing in their lives. Students stood in front of the entire group and laid everything out. I cannot express how encouraging it was to see youth so on fire for God, boys and girls giving up their lives of drinking and drugs and everything else to go completely against the flow and follow the Lord. I have been able to talk with some of them one on one since then and these kids are amazing! Tamara who I have fallen in love with told me about how corrupt her school is even the teachers come to school drunk and some have relations with students, it's all together a mess there. There are so few believers and so Tamara is forced to stand up for her faith alone, even her family is not supportive of her being involved in church. Her entire testimony is heartbreaking but yet this girl just shines the light of God! Please be praying that I will be able to continue working with this group and really get to pour into the lives of these students.