I'm a habitual planner, it is sad but true. I tend to be the type of person who tries to plan out every detail before I do anything. It stresses me out to not know what I am going to do next. Even on off days I plan my day to the minute so that I can make the most out of every moment. I don't know what it is but I just need to plan everything. Well let me tell you, that is not how Africa works and I must say that it is only by the grace of God that I have been able to survive. I am actually quite shocked because I haven't had any troubles what so ever. Since I left Wisconsin I have learned to adapt the "go with the flow" attitude. That's what you must do here. We as a team have learned to take each day as it is and not worry about tomorrow because we never know what tomorrow holds. We have also been trained to expect the unexpected. Well we were put to the ultimate challenge of this last week. On Friday October 10 we began our adventure of Beat the Drum. Beat the drum is a HIV awareness program which contains a video and a weeks worth of curriculum. My team as well as 4 other mission teams joined together to present this program in the town of Somerset East, South Africa. We all stood in amazement as the entire event was totally run by God from beginning to end. There were so many times throughout the planning that we had no way of things being able to work and then suddenly God just made it happen. Let me tell you it was a continual walk of faith. It was just days before we were to begin the program and we still didn't have the $2,000 needed to buy the curriculum but right in time the money came in. The night before we left we still did not have enough vehicles to get the entire team to our desired location. Instead of freaking out our leaders drew the team together and we prayed and as they always do, things fell into place just hours before we had to leave. God is good and sometimes I think He just likes to challenge us to make us just trust him. That's actually been a theme to this trip, God stripping away just about anything we have to rely on that way it can all be His working. That's how I felt as I was instructed to teach a classroom full of 8^th grade Xkosa students about HIV for an entire week when I myself know nothing about HIV. I went into it saying "Alright Lord I have no clue what I am getting into but I'm trusting You." My first day of teaching was so discouraging. It was like pulling teeth to get the kids to participate and we could only get about 3 of them to do so. I left thinking, this program is going to be a flop I don't want to go back. I couldn't see how we were going to make any sort of a difference but we faithfully went each day praying in desperation before and let me tell you that's exactly where God wanted us to be and he totally blessed that. My heart broke so tremendously for my students as they opened up more to us. We gave them the opportunity to write us letters if they had anything they wanted to talk to us about but were too shy to ask in front of class. People at all the locations did the same thing and when we went through all of them it was overwhelming. We heard stories such like an 8^th grade girl trying to get pregnant with her 21 year old boyfriend, students who lost both of their parents to HIV, girls being raped by their uncles, and other stories all over the board. One girl I grew particularly attached to during the week stopped my friend and I and told us her story of how she was an orphan. She broke down crying asking why God would let this happen to her because she had been praying for her parents so much while they were sick. It was so hard to have nothing I could say to make things better. Sometimes I feel so helpless here. I so badly just want to talk all of these peoples pain away, to pluck them from this earth and make sure they never again feel an ounce of hurt. Everyday I am faced with people who are totally broken and there is nothing I can really do to help them. I was really struggling with this last week once we were done with beat the drum. I ended up just spending hours alone with God and presenting my frustrations to Him and he comforted me with 1 Peter 1. As I read this passage I was just filled with a peace that this life is not about things being better. We are supposed to face trials and hardships but those hard times can bring us closer to God and make us home sick for heaven. We do not need to be so down about the trials of this life but we can rejoice knowing one day we will go home to be with our Father in heaven and never again will we suffer, I think it'll be worth the wait.

Another thing God has really been laying on my heart lately are the street kids here in Jbay. I would feel so hypocritical as people would ask me for food and money and I'd turn them down and go on to do ministry elsewhere. It was a great frustration to many of us as our leaders had asked us not to give the street kids any money because they use it to buy drugs. I presented my frustrations to one of my leaders and he came up with a great idea. He and I and some of our other teammates decided to begin a ministry where we make sandwiches a couple times a week for the street kids. We would sit and eat with them and actually build relationships with them so they would know we really do care about them. We began this yesterday and it went fairly well. Some of the boys came drunk and they were all crazy hyper but we had fun none the less. It's heartbreaking to see these boys, some only about 10 who have no family no home, nothing. I am so thankful for this ministry and I am excited to see what will come of it. I also joined another ministry yesterday which takes place on Friday nights. We have a hang out night at my church where we take in kids off the street and give them a safe place to hang out. Last night was my first night and I feel as though it went pretty well. We all watched a movie, I ended up having two little boys asleep in my arms for the entire movie. It's so exciting as I am actually building relationships with the people in my community.

It's fun to walk through the townships and actually know many of the people I walk by. I especially love getting to know the teens, there are some really great ones here who have such potential. I can already see their passion for the Lord and I know He's going to use them greatly. Oh how I wish I could introduce you to everyone here so you could fall in love with each of them as I have. I was thinking the other day about all of my supporters and how amazing you all are. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't be able to minister to these people if it weren't for you. This is just as much your ministry as it is mine. If any of you would like to get more information from me please email me. Let me know if you'd like specific people you'd like to be praying for, if you'd like pictures, anything. I want you to feel involved. Tell me how I could be writing better as well. If you want to hear personal stories of the people here I could do that. I love you all so much thank you for everything. God bless you. -Sama