Day four and on

These are from day four through the end of the youth trip. I'm sitting in Norwegian Settler's Church on Sunday July 12,2009 and I'm excited about the next week! Read up:

Today was the fourth full day, for me. July 5th 5:00 pm currently. Is it weird I feel like time is just going to fly by?

The last day you heard about was Thursday, so I’ll sum things up best I can. Friday was an amazing day. Returned to Rehoboth for the whole morning and played and sang and watched them dance and held babies and played house and made imaginary sand food and had a fabulous time. I was reunited with some kids I didn’t see the first day, and learned some Zulu songs. Just 4 and a half of the best hours you can imagine for someone who’s heart is just in bliss. I let most of the kids write their names on my converse with sharpies. Most amazing art ever. I’d be playing with or holding Mpilo or Nosipo or Brightness or Ncamsile and just look up and see the rolling, giant, beautiful hills and valleys covered with sugar cane, rock, trees, grass…goodness. The overwhelming moments come in waves and you just have to stop and say “Thank you” or “Praise God, you are so Holy” or “I can NOT believe what I am doing right now..” That’s the best way to describe how it works inside of me. I like to stop and feel things and make a memory or just make sure my heart stays aware of what it’s doing.

I would be holding a child and just stare at his/her hands, feet, arms, face, hair and just try my best to capture the feeling and emotions associated with that child. The best I can describe what I feel/felt when I hold one of the orphans or look into their eyes is that I’m holding the hands of Christ. I’m playing with chalk with Jesus. And He’s looking right back through me. There is nothing more soul piercing than the deep eyes of these children. There aren’t words to describe how humbling it all is and how overwhelmingly bitter sweet this experience has and will continue to be. Still in awe, and hope I stay there.

After that we ate at the church, where I found out I was to play guitar and sing in worship Sunday morning at church with Steve Flippo and others. Needless to say, I was very nervous. Never done that before, but have felt for awhile God kind of preparing me and stretching me towards being ok with sharing those gifts. So we practiced while the rest of the tem went to the hospice. When I got over there, it was clear hearts were breaking/broken already. I had missed Sharon’s intro to the care centre unfortunately and walked into the lobby pretty terrified as usual. I looked for someone to walk in with and kind of followed people around for awhile until I finally just waited outside with Steve and Sam.

Saturday we went on another game drive at Tala Game Reserve outside Durban and saw way, way more than at lake eland. It was much bigger and had more bush areas and then more plains areas. I saw a whole herd of Giraffe, wildebeest, RHINOS, HIPPOS (my new favorite maybe), it was just so so neat. Just made the whole Africa thing sink in all the way. Almost got charged by a wart hog, but I calmed him with my hog whispering skills.

Sunday I played guitar and sang at Margate Baptist with Steve and his son and a Zulu boy named Bonge (BONG-ah) who is my new friend, and the rest of the team enjoyed Pastor Trevor at Norwegians. It went well enough for my first time. My fingers were absolutely killing me before we even started, but I prayed God would just make them numb and he totally did. Then that afternoon we went out to a Catholic orphanage further inland called Assisi that the youth service team at Norwegians has a partnership with. Held a precious child who never said a word other than a laugh occasionally and he just fell asleep sitting up on my chest. It was magical.

7/6/2009 13:00

This morning was the most joyful of all the moments as of yet. We went to Kulu (a rural village) this morning where Jacob Way’s fundraiser (Hawks Care) raised $16,000 (only 5K was needed) to put in a well that will provide water for a huge community and save, change, and enhance literally hundreds of lives. They broke water at the well within the first 3 hours of drilling, which is un heard of, three days ago. Today we stood around that very well. That one year ago was an idea in an airport in the head of a willing vessel. We prayed, cried, sang, knelt, ran the dirt through our fingers, and just stood in awe of God’s wonderful power and provision and grace over this land. It was so humbling and such a touching time. They are putting the pump in today for it, and within an hour or so, people will have drinkable water there! The magnitude of the impact of this well for this community is so, so huge. There aren’t words. The rest of the time we just played and sang in Zulu about how great God is. Blissful.

In the afternoon, we went to Murchison where about 70 kids came out and we told stories, fed them probably the only meal they had that day, and did a little craft with them. Saw a lot of younger girls and couldn’t help but feel what their life must be like. There was a 15 yr old boy there named Magnificent who was so uplifting though. He translated for me while I explained crafts, and Charlie who told the story of Jonah, and just kept telling us how glad he was that we had come. He was the one who brought the children there. We pulled up and there was about six kids around, and he brought 70 more. We went to Rehoboth for about 30 minutes after that to see Alfons and Yvonne the directors there for a bit, and visit with the kids again. I’ve never been so joyfully greeted in my life. Mpilo especially just lights up my heart. If any of you were involved in the fundraiser some girls put on called Formally Yours that resold prom dresses, that money was presented to Rehoboth today to pay for furnishings in the Midway house they are building to house some boys there that are about to move into town with a house couple and be the first to experience the next part of Alfons and Yvonne’s vision to be able to continue pouring into these kids life even when they outgrow the orphanage. Lebo, Mbongeni, and Spehcicle, boys we’ve gotten to know well over the past two years, will move there soon, and the money provided by those girls fundraiser made that possible.

Here’s what I’ve observed God doing in me/to me. He is stripping away all my crutches. All my little security blankets, that weren’t necessarily bad things, just little ways in which I didn’t have to totally trust him. Leadership roles I wasn’t expecting, experiences I thought I could skirt by without giving everything I had, and even people I wasn’t expecting to be challenged by. It’s hard and makes me so vulnerable, but I prayed for it, and feel like I am being refined by fire. Painful, consuming fire. Word to the wise: don’t pray these prayers and expect God not to answer them, if you were serious when you asked. Being on my knees in tears around that well, and seeing the overflow of Jacob’s heart I tears in that sand around the well, along with the fact that those three boys we’ve loved will be affected by high school girls who had no idea who they were a week ago, was just the most incredible display of God’s heart to me. I know the climax of my experience is still to come, but I can not imagine what could be better. I did a devotional for the team over Colossians 1:9-14 (read that…all of Colossians 1 is where I’m living right now) and what a “Life worthy of the Lord” looks like for us this week. God really put it on my heart to pray for physical, tangible fruit as a result of good works done through us, but by him, in these communities and that water well, Rehoboth, and Murchison are nothing short of the results we should expect when we allow the Spirit to work in and through us and our gifts. As a result of these experiences, I feel like we’re growing individually and as a group in the knowledge of God, and that is mightily empowering us with great endurance and patience in order to complete the good works to bear tangible and intangible fruit. It’s a beautiful cycle being displayed in front of us throughout these two weeks.

The youth team leaves on Friday morning and Taylor, Jodie and I begin the next 4 weeks of our experience here in South Africa. We’ll do a children’s holiday club (VBS) along side two guys from Auburn University, and some volunteers from Scripture Union (organization at Norwegian’s that does community outreach) the week of the 13th-17th and after that details are vague, but it looks like we’ll be very busy. I’m very anxious to see what Father has on his agenda for us, but it’s just that: His agenda. Surrendering to that is really more comforting than dwelling in the doubtful side of uncertainty. SO I’m choosing to hang out on the no worries side of uncertainty. It’s like making a really good playlist on your iPod then putting it on shuffle. You know there’s good stuff coming up, but you don’t know what song is next. Some of you probably can’t relate, but hey…I’m “that” generation.

Akekoh ofana nojesu! Some Zulu for you. It means “There is no one like Jesus”. And that is so true, and so evident here and everywhere. Do not be surprised when he comes through, or shows up, or answers prayers, because that’s who He is. Thank you so much for your prayers, and continued support. We feel them, I feel them, and from the top, bottom and middle of my heart I thank you, but challenge you to see how God is moving around you today, and resist the urge to withdraw and simply read about his power. What a shame that would be to get up from the computer and say “That’s nice.” Make it real.

Siyabonga! (Thank you)

Katy