Hello all...so I officially fail at this whole blogging thing. I find it very difficult to put into words all I am experiencing here. Life here has become so normal to me that I do not even know where to begin explaining what it's like. It's hard to believe that I only have one more week left of this semester. Time has gone by SO quickly. After this week my team will be packing up and leaving Jeffrey's Bay, the place we've called "home" the past 3 months. We will be having a weeklong debrief in a town near by and then the sad departure begins. My team of 36 will split into 3 different teams, one team will be heading to Swaziland, one to Port Elizabeth, and one will stay in Jeffreys Bay. For those of you who do not know I will be staying in Jeffreys Bay. I am very excited about this as God has been teaching me how crucial in depth relationships are. I have really invested in the lives of some of the people here and I want to continue working in those relationships rather than having to start all over. Plus another reason I couldn't bear to leave my dear children I have so deeply fallen in love with at Ithemba.
So before I am to begin my second semester here in Jeffreys Bay we have about two weeks off for Christmas in which I will have the opportunity to travel around South Africa with a couple of friends. When I return here in January my team of 15 will be moving into a house. When we found this out the first thing that came into each of our minds were "couches!!!" For the past three months we haven't had any couches which means we have had no places to just sit and relax. Our living quaters have consisted of just essentials, meaning our cabins in which we live in only have bunks stacked three high so we cannot sit up in them, and instead of having a kitchen area we eat at picnic tables. So sitting back and relaxing is not really a thing we can do unless you want to just sit outside or at the picnic tables so having couches is going to be a huge treat for us all! I'm very excited also to be living in community. We have been basically living in community this whole time but to be living in a house with a smaller team will have a totally different dynamic, I feel it will be much more family like. So yes I'm very excited about next semester. Oh also my team will be all girls, crazy stuff, it shall be interesting. Next semester should be looking quite different for us. This semester was focused much on discipleship and learning so the first 3 hours of the day we were in discipleship classes and only the afternoons were for ministry. Well starting next semester we will focus much more on ministry. I am hoping to start working with an orphanage here called 7th heaven. Its actually just a home run by a lady and she has about 10 (give or take a few) children. I will also continue to work at Ithemba working with the same after school ministry that I have this semester. I plan also to continue working with two different teen programs here in Jeffreys, and the street kid ministry as well as teach sunday school. So basically I will continue much as i have this semester but I hope with the extra time to get more involved and plugged in here.
As for prayer requests, which i could ALWAYS use prayer.
Please be praying for Zimbabwe. The situation there has hit me very close to home as many of my friends here in South Africa are from Zim but are living here because they can no longer live there. If you don't know the situation going on there please read up on it as horrible tragedy has struck in that country. If anyone is interested in donating supplies or money towards the people there I have a couple friends that are always sending money and supplies to their family there. I could make sure that the money you donate will get to them.
I could also use prayer in my own financial situation. My support has not all come in yet and time is running out for it to all be in. I'm a little worried about it not coming in but I am reminded of what a miracle it was for me to get here in the first place and so I am comforted that its all in Gods hands.
As for my personal walk with the Lord, please pray that GOd would continue to reveal to me who He really is. This entire trip has really messed me up, my entire view of God has changed so drastically and at times i feel like I'm just peicing together what little I know trying to understand who He is. I know its a good thing though because its just God stretching and growing me. Prayer for my ministry is always an essential as well. Pray for wisdom and guidance in my relationships as I want my life to be just me pointing them towards God rather than them learning to rely on me.
If you are interested in praying for specific people I work with here please write and I could tell you the stories of some of my friends and match you up with specific people you could be praying for.
Well time is running out and I must go. I am sorry I have failed so much at keeping you all updated. Please write me and ask any specific questions you have. I love you all and miss you tons! -Sama
