Random Acts of Kindness

As Christmas draws near, I find myself getting caught up in the hoopla of making sure everybody I know gets a Christmas card,  and the perfect gift, adorned with the most beautiful wrapping paper with the perfect bow on top. The stores and malls are flooded with people alike searching for that special gift for that special someone. Every commercial on TV tries to draw us into their stores for their great sales to purchase more and more stuff.
As a single woman living alone, I recently put up my first Christmas tree, decorated with gold and red beads, ornaments, and glistening white lights. My windowsill is cluttered with Christmas cards from family and friends, sparkly lights, and glittering red snowflake decorations. My family members have all asked what exactly I want for Christmas. I pause to stop and focus on the word want. What do I want?
I find myself being torn in two completely opposite directions; Meghann the woman of THIS world, and Meghann the woman of God meant to be different and stand apart from this world. The wordly Meghann seems to be able to think of a few things that might be nice to have; a new computer, ANOTHER pair of boots, a Kerig Coffee maker, new running shoes, and a new camera. None of the things I have thought of are things that I really need though. If I am being honest, there is really NOTHING that I am in need of. I have a beautiful home, filled with food, heat, a closet full of clothes, and running water. I have a family that adores me and supports me for who I am, a church family who is there for me when I need them, friends that have my back and truly love me for me, and a Heavenly Father that has saved my life and made whole and new.
Since my return from Africa, I find myself struggling to keep a grasp on God's reality. I find myself realizing that something can be very real to me, but entirely untrue. I believe alot of us can look at areas in our life and realize this statement is true. This Christmas season I have been playing tug-a-war with this WORLD view of Christmas and the REAL meaning of Christmas. I find myself thinking about the precious kids I worked with in the village of Ramaroka and Segkopo.
This Christmas I am not worried about needing anything, especially not worried about my safety in the neighborhood I live in. Govenment officials are being killed in the very province I was working in in South Africa just a few short weeks ago. Have you stopped to read about what is going on in Africa right now?
God has truly blessed me with just the small fact that I live here in America. Why me though? My mind could spend hours going in circles with this small realization. Why did He pick me to live here in America? Why have I been so richly blessed with everything I have? Why are their children in Africa who have dreams, hopes, and goals alike that will not have enough food today, tomorrow, or even next week? My heart cries out for the children I held, the children I played with, the children I showed Jesus to, the children who have no families to eat Christmas dinner with. God has only given me one answer to all the questions I have for him about why me and it really is quite simple.
He whispers to me, "Because I love you Meghann." I stop and realize that it doesn't mean He doesn't love me any more or any less than the hungry, needy orphans of Africa. God hasn't punished or priviledged any of us more than anybody else. This world and it's ways are the sole reason why kids in Africa are dying each and every day from malnutrition and the deadly disease of AIDS. The sin of this world is causing this not God. God is there in every moment, I witnessed and saw Jesus in the beautiful children's eyes there. What Africa needs is people like you and me, willing to go and bring the hope and life back into these hurting children and people's lives. God is there, yet God needs avenues, platforms, and people to use to bring His presence to the surface in a place where famine, starvation, crime, and disease drive out all the Light.
Everything about my journey has been difficult, and everyday continues to be a constant battle between wanting to be home in Africa helping the children in need. I have to realize though that God has a perfect plan, and I was able to carry it out by going and listening to God's calling for me to be His Hands and Feet in Africa. I never in a million years thought that two short weeks spent thousands of miles away would change my perspective in every single area of my life.
Friends, I urge you to stop and remember the true meaning of Christmas. Forget all the gifts, the wrapping paper, and the New Years resolutions. Jesus came to earth, taking the form of a human being, having living, breathing, flesh like you and me. God sent this baby to teach us the simple act of living life in a way pleasing to God. He sent Him to restore us; to save us; to fill us with everlasting joy in a fallen, broken world.
How are you living your life? We could all probably agree that we all are very comfortable when it comes to having enough to live on, making enough money to support our needs, and having family and friends to help us in our times of struggle. We all have made mistakes, fallen short, and I continue to fall short every single day. But friends, God loved you SO VERY much that he Blessed you with a rich life; a life where you know Him and have all the proper tools follow Him and to be a disciple for him in this sinful world. I challenge you to make a resolution not just for this upcoming year, but for the rest of your life. Make a resolution to devote your life to God's work.
 God says in James 1:27, "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for the orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." God has opened my eyes and heart for this sole reason. If you don't know what your purpose is in this lifetime, if you don't feel like you are making a differece in your life to anybody, I promise you, go to God and give yourself away today. Deny yourself, forget about your selfish desires, set aside some time, and ask God how you can make a difference in somebody else's life.  He says it plain and simple in James 1:27. Care for the widows and orphans of this world. Period. It is so so simple, yet so many of us make excuses. People feel uncomfortable talking about the poor. My friends, what and how are you spending your money? Let me rephrase that. You know everything that you own and have and place value on materialistically will not and NEVER will bring you lasting joy. We are always wanting MORE. More stuff to floods our homes with. Have you ever felt an emptiness inside you after all the gifts are opened and Christmas is over? You got everything you asked for, yet you still just feel sort of empty. FRIENDS, there is a solution to that emptiness and it is JESUS. Invite him into your heart, or if He is already there invite Him to change your heart. Change your heart to feel the things HE feels. Ask Him to change your eyes to see the things that hurt Him everyday to see. He can renew your spirit and fill you with joy you have never experienced. I am a living testimony of that. Ths world has failed me in more ways than one. I was and still am a broken woman that has been trampled on by worldly people and things, but God has restored my life and my heart. He has opened my eyes and heart, and I know that my life has a purpose and meaning to others.
Maybe God will call you to changing the world by sponsoring a child in Africa. I know it might seem small, and the Devil might whisper in your ear things like, "How can sponsoring one child make an impact when there are millions who are hungry." Friends, it just takes starting with one. One turns into 10, and then turns into 100. You are changing the world to that one little boy and girl.
I saw with my very eyes what it means to these beautiful children to be sponsored. This Christmas they will not have a mother and father to give them gifts, to leave cookies out for Santa, to eat Christmas dinner with. The ones that are sponsored though have hope, because an American has taken the time, money, and energy to invest in their lives, to support them, pray for them, and love them enough to make that all possible for them. With each kid sponsored, I know God is smiling and His heart is filled with joy.
Maybe this Christmas you and your family could volunteer to serve at a shelter, ring the bell for Salvation army, or simply buy the car behind you in the drivethrus coffee or meal. The feeling of doing random acts of kindness is something I can not fully descibe, but it is one that never gets old, and never goes away. This world filled with all its false realities is hard to not get wrapped up in. Take the time to go to God, ask Him to open up your eyes and heart, and give you strength to be different; to stand out; to be the change He wants to see in the world.
I am not sure when God will take me back to Africa, but everyday my heart longs for the people, children, and friends I met on my stay. Until I return, I must try and make a bigger impact here, for Africa does have many financial problems and is lacking much, but the US is lacking far more in the areas of selfishness, greed, and power. How can you be a Light to those who need one in your life? You are beautiful and special in God's eyes. You were meant to read the words on this page. Act on these words, for these are not mine, but from God working through me.
Many blessings and well wishes to all,
Meg

Living Intentionally State Side

November 20, 2012
Hello friends--

It's been alittle over a month since my amazing journey to God's country of South Africa. The whole experience still is so fresh, so raw. My emotions are still all over the place. I wake up every day with the kids faces in my mind. I can't seem to stop thinking about how they are doing, what they are doing, if they are missing me as much as I am missing them, or if they know really how much they blessed me during my time there.
I am a changed woman. Anybody that has known me could see that. I believe our whole team is full of changed people, with changed hearts. I feel as if I have fallen in love with Jesus all over again, in a way that I never have fallen in love before. I am continually searching for Him, in every situation I find myself in.
My team has been one of my saving graces. Without their love and support, this last month would have been next to impossible. I don't even know how to explain how I am feeling. I have a feeling of fullness, like I am ready to explode at the seams with love, heartache, energy, hurt, and frustration. Love; for I have fallen in love with the people and children of Africa. Heartache; for all the brokenness I saw in Africa and for not being able to just fix everything there. Energy; I am on fire, wanting to show and tell everybody about how we can't fix everything, but we can change one person's life. Hurt; I am hurting, for God broke my heart while I was there. Frustration; for those that don't find sponsorship THAT important, THAT big of a deal. Frustration for those who continually live in the bubble of comfort we find ourselves in here in the states. I find that I am even frustrated with myself sometimes.. getting sucked into the things our society thinks is important.

This weekend I was given the opportunity to speak with Doug and Sandy, my amazing God-fearing African trip leaders, at my church. Can I just say that God is really using my pastor Dave in mighty ways. I am so grateful for his openness to taking the time out to allow the three of us to speak on such an imporant matter for all of us who claim to be Christians. I'm not going to lie, I don't normally like to speak in front of a whole room of people. I grew up kind of hating presentations in school. God worked it all out though. He blessed me with allowing my team to come up to support the three of us during our presentation to the church. I don't think they fully realized how much it meant to me to have them there. All of them go to our main campus in Indy, and they hadn't seen our new church here in Lafayette. It was beyond amazing to have them all there, sitting in the front row, wearing their Africa shirts. It was emotional to say the least, us all being together again, minus Susan and Meri. We missed you both! :) I know God used the three of us to reach out to our congregation and let them know what we saw, what broke our hearts, and what we learned. We even got a hand full of kids sponsored between both services! AMEN! :)
One of the main things I stressed was the difference in how I view serving now. Before my missions to Nicaragua and Africa, I kind of viewed serving as something to just check off my to-do list. Serving was something that I thought "good" Christians do, the right thing to do. I never really thought about being blessed through serving. I viewed it as I was blessing others through the various actitives and tasks I would do during serving. Well, God woke me up from that false assumption and reality. Serving has and is the most rewarding thing I can do here on Earth. It isn't about how much money I can donate, how many kids I sponsor, how many bricks I can make on a mission trip, how many meals I can pack on Good Neighbor weekend at church. It isn't about any of that. The bottom line is that serving shouldn't even be called serving. It should be calling loving.
My trip to Africa wasn't about giving all the kids food, clothes, and a new life. It was about loving them, for who they are, because God loves them and commands us to love them by showing them who He is. By loving them, I gave them the greatest gift I could give them. I gave them Hope; hope in Jesus. How simple right? It is so simple when you have God in your heart and when you see their big brown eyes looking at you, just asking you to love them. People here need that same love. We all need it, and if you take the time to look, you will see that there are people here that are searching for that love too.
Have you loved on somebody today that looks as if they are having a rough day? How hard is it to ask, reach out, invite someone to church? How difficult is it to call a friend you haven't talked to in a while? How hard is it to devote some of your time to volunteer in the kid's ministry in your church? How hard is it to sponsor A child, one single child? How hard is it to spend some more quality time with your grandparents? How hard is it to ask someone if they need prayers for anything?
Friends, I can tell you, a few years ago I was the most self-centered, self-absorbed woman I knew. Everything was all about me and MY dreams I had planned for myself. God had a funny way of getting through to me. I am a very stubborn, strong-willed, and determined individual and it wasn't until all my so-called "plans" were crushed and made nonexistant that I came to terms with the changes I needed to make in my life. I proclaimed I was a Christian, but I wasn't living it out. I wasn't living in a way God would have approved. I was at my ropes end, at the lowest of lows, and it was in that moment when I cried out to God and asked for Him to change me, to show me the right way. I have Him to give all the glory and credit to for me making me into the woman I am today. I have my amazing church, Pastor Dave and Steve, my loving family, my terrific friends here in the states, and the amazing relationships I have made in Nicaragua and Africa, my amazing new family members; Nica team members and my Africa team, and my two precious little boys, Moises and Obed.

God has taken my brokenness and turned my life completely around. He has really blessed me. And really, all I had to do was ask. Matthew 7:7 says, "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." This verse really stays true to my life. Now, that verse is taken out of context a lot of the time. It isn't saying that everything I ask of God will be given to me. If I ask God for a million dollars, do you think He will bless me with that? Most likely not. This verse is saying if I ask, seek, and open the door to God, He will give me everything that I will ever need, everything He wants me to have. God is faithful. I never in my life imagined to be a part of something greater than myself. I never in a million years thought I would have been a part of multiple mission teams, loving on kids in Nicaragua and in Africa. None of those were in my dreams and plans for my life a few years ago, but the verse holds true to my life. I asked, I seeked, and I knocked on God's door. He in turn led me here; a woman on a new mission that is centered on God. A woman that can and has changed the world by loving on those who needed loved in places I never thought I would ever be. A woman that is made new and that has been filled with the Holy Spirit. A woman that couldn't ask for anything more, because I honestly believe I have everything that I would ever need because of Jesus.
I have no idea where He might lead me next, but I am thankful for where He has brought me up to this point. You know all those facebook "thankful statuses"? Each day you pick one thing that you are thankful for. Well.. every single day I wake up and I thank God for changing my life, waking me up, allowing me to see myself in His eyes, giving me the opportunity to really see the things that break His heart everyday. Friends, I challenge you to be thankful for your life, for it isn't your life at all. It's God's life. Live intentionally for Him, I promise He will give you all your hearts desires and give you more hope, joy, and love that you could ever even imagine.
Much love to you all.
Stay thankful,
Meg

Kingodm Lost, Kingdom Come

Hi friends,
The team is safely back and it has been about a week since we have been home. Last weekend the team got together and went to church in Carmel and fellowshiped over dinner afterwards. We had a wonderful time talking about the trip, the struggles we have had over the week, and the things we miss most about your new home in Africa. I wanted to share with you an amazing discussion and study by our great team leader, Doug. He gave us and led us in this discussion before we headed to the airport on our way home.
Please, take the time, grab a bible and read and look up these passages! I promise it will forever change your opinion on God's purporse for this earth and for your life!! Love you all!!!

Kingdom Lost…Kingdom Come

Jesus taught his followers to pray…”your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!” Matthew 6:9               Luke 11:2

Questions

What are the characteristics of a “kingdom?”        
Where Does Jesus want this kingdom?       
What are the characteristics of this kingdom?
Why did Jesus teach us this prayer?

Story of the Kingdom Lost
Isaiah 14:11 –17                    
 Ezekiel 28: 11 -19
 Luke 10:18
Revelation 12:4
Genesis 1:1b
Genesis 1:2 – 25
Genesis 1:26 – 31
Genesis 3:1 – 13 and 23, 24
Genesis 6:11 - 13
Matthew 21:1 – 5
John 1:1 - 14              
Philippians 2:5 – 11
Acts 1:1 – 8
Isaiah 11                                
Matthew 25                           
Revelation 22

Kingdom Lost Kingdom Come

A long time ago in a place…I am not sure where…the universe was in harmony and peace

The King of all things enjoyed the attention and worship of His/Their created subjects.

And they enjoyed the benefit and pleasures of serving and worshipping their Creator/King.

However, one of the Kings three most trusted and highest ranking generals was in turmoil…conflict. A doubt about the King…a seed of mistrust…a corrupted idea had begun to grow in this general’s thoughts.

            Isaiah 14:11- 17                                  Ezekiel 28::11 – 19

This one who was the “Model of perfection” has now become the model of rebellion against His King, the creator of the universe.

            What happened?       What is his name??

The Creator/King is left with no alternative but to expel the rebel from His presence. So Lucifer; now called Satan is cast out of heaven and thrown down to…where? EARTH!!

            Luke 10:18

And there were many who chose to follow him because of his great lies against the Creator/King. They were also thrown down with him.

            Revelation 12:4

Now because of this Rebellion the place to which the Master Rebel had been banished and thrown down – this once beautiful planet called Earth, which at one time had been filled with all kinds of life, is now plunged into disorder and chaos and confusion and become void of life.

It has become the abode of the Rebel

            Genesis 1:1b

But the Creator/King all things is also the Redeemer/Recreator of all things as well.  He plans to re-establish His rule and reign in all the parts of the universe where it has been challenged and lost to the rebellion. And He decides to start in the place where the rebellion has its headquarters…EARTH

            Genesis 1:2 – 25

At the heart of his Redemption plan is a new creation like no creation ever before. One who was made in image of the Creator who would re-establish the Creator/Kings presence and rule in the earth. This new created being would be called mankind…man and woman. At last God’s kingdom, His rule and influence and joy was being restored again.

            Genesis 1:26 – 31

All was well for a time, until the day the Rebel devised a plan to once again overthrow the Creator/King’s intentions. At a time when the man and woman were vulnerable, The Rebel came to them and enticed them by planting the same corrupted idea that had caused his own downfall into their thoughts. The woman was the first to accept the idea and then the man followed, leaving the King no alternative but to once again expel from His presence the rebellious ones.

            Genesis 3:1 – 13 and 23, 24

The effect of this second rebellion on the earth was catastrophic and global. The Corruption of the Rebel permeated the entire world.

Genesis 6:11 - 13

Of course the Creator/King was broken hearted but He was not defeated. Even in the defeat of this first attempt to re-establish His rule and influence, a plan was birthed to invade the Rebel’s dominion and overthrow his rule. The very Creator/King Himself would enter the Rebel’s kingdom in a disguise so ingenious that no one would recognize Him. He would enter as one of those very one’s he had created.

            Matthew 21:1 – 5                   John 1:1 – 14                          Philippians 2:5 – 11

He would do this so that he could teach them the Truth about the Creator/King and about the original idea of His Kingdom before it had been corrupted. He would live a life that demonstrated the ideals of this kingdom and he would confront the forces that preserved and promoted the rebellion. And, if necessary He would die so that all those who believed in him would understand the importance of following His ways.

And this is exactly what happened. He died…He gave his life so that all mankind could escape the ideas and powers of the rebellion and have the power of the Kingdom to live a life on the earth that would represent the Creator/King accurately.

Before he died he reminded his followers of something that had been intended and declared from the beginning. In the beginning God had purposed mankind to be made in his image and reflection and to go into all the earth and recreate and populate the earth with His image. Now Jesus commanded his followers again to “Go into all the earth and make disciples (populate the earth) by teaching the things he had taught them.

            Matthew 28:16

After he died and was raised again to life he sent to them the Spirit who had empowered him to live out God’s nature in the earth so they too could live out the same nature and reflection of God’s image.

            Acts 1:1 – 8

When He was on the earth, He taught his followers a very important lesson; a prayer to help his followers remained focused on their task. A prayer that would invite the Creator/King to live through them in the same way and for the same reason He lived while He was on the earth. He taught them to say, “Father in heaven, holy is your name. Let your kingdom come and let your will be done, on this earth the same way it is in heaven.

Isaiah 11                                 Matthew 25                            Revelation 22

October 13th-14th- Our Last days here :(

God has had favor on our team, it has stopped raining!! :)
Today is bitter sweet because it is our last day at Ave Maria! Last night we had a wonderful time sharing our stories and listening to Andres and Nellie's amazing story about their mission work and working for Horizon!! What amazing people! :)

There are so many layers that God has showed me on this trip. God chose me to be here-- we can't be upset about why other people don't see missions in the same way as we do now. We must keep serving in the same way when we return home. The whole meaning of serving has changed for me. Serving others in the name of Jesus is hard-- it isn't going to give me a better life. It isn't about what we get out of serving, its about sharing what we have.
How can I go home and give it away to others?
The greatest need of people is LOVE. What we gave the kids will never run out this week. The relationship is the most important part. God says we have to serve, duty is then fulfilled. There are lost, hurting people everywhere. You may be one that is reading this blog post right now. I challenge you to show acts of love and kindness daily. Offer your time to the Lord. It doesn't matter what everybody else thinks about your life and your lifstyle. We just have to obey God-- be what God wants us to be. Everybody is valuable, because we all are children of God. Quit focusing on what you don't think you have. Stop worrying about your insecurities, God says we all are valuable.

I find myself asking, Now what God?
God tells me that all I have to do is pray. Trust HIm that He will build me up to spread His Word and let everybody know what I learned and saw on this amazing love story of a journey. I can not change the world in a week. I realize I can not convine everybody that mission work is important and it brings God's joy and Heaven to earth. God will use my life though, to draw people to know more of God.
Friends, you must remember why you alive, reading this blog. You are a child of God and were made to spread his Light to others. Your career isn't why you were hand-made by God. For some reason God has brought you to this moment, this moment of reading this blog post, to show and tell you that you are loved. You are loved and you were made to love.
I've thought at different low points in my life that my heart was broken and could never be fixed. I have been deeply hurt by people in my life time. We all have. My heart has never been broken like this though. My heart is breaking as we speak because of the things I have seen and felt here in this small village of Ramaroka. I do know that I will always find God when I work in helping others who need help. He has been present and alive in every team member this week. He has been present in the children, and I have seen Him in all their faces.
This trip God has allowed me to inhale so many emotions, feelings, and lessons. It is now time to exhale. I must release everything I have seen and learned. I love you my dear friends. Thank you for all the support, prayers, and love you have shown me to be the woman I am today.

October 12th- Tears from Jesus

Friday October 12, 2012

Good morning! Another amazing day awaits our team. It is cloudy and pretty cold for Africa, but the team is ready for a new day! I read yesterday’s journal to the team this morning during devotion—I cried of course, something that isn’t rare for this team. These children are forever going to a hold a place in our hearts.

Devotion
We must become global servants. What about our work over here in Africa is sustainable? How long term is what we are doing? God gave us two commandments in Matthew 22. The first was love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul. The second was love your neighbor as yourself. We are going to struggle when we get back to our daily routine at home. We must always remember what God has taught us here and apply and teach others. We must show what we have experienced by living it at home. We must reach other, because there isn’t enough public sharing when it comes to the Lord. Don’t neglect the Holy Spirit. We expect the church to give us what we want. We must get off the sidelines and do something.

Dedicate yourself to studying the Word of God. This is the very bread of life. Without it, we easily get lost, get caught up in worldly things. I have asked myself things such as, “What can I get out of life group this week? What can I get out of church this week to be a better person?” I need to stop asking those questions and ask myself, “How can I lose my life today?” I already have everything I need, so do you friends. We have everything we have in Jesus. We must ask Jesus to change us a little at a time.

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.

Who today needs me at church, needs me to reach out to them at work, or needs me at home today? How can I be the light, the change I want to see in the world.

Bitter sweet Day

As I sit here in the back of the van pondering over the events of the week, I realize truly how much my life has changed over the last two years. This month marks two years since I left Missouri; two years that have turned a beautiful mess into a fulfilling life. I am a living testimony that God really does use ALL things for good. We might not understand, we might not see, and we may not fully comprehend all the situations God throws our way, but I do know, now, after 24 years that faithfulness produces and bears fruit. Fruit that is eternal and can sustain all things.

I am not the same woman I once was just a few short years ago. I am not into the same things I have always liked, and my heart beats at a different pace. A pace that is in sync with my Heavenly Fathers. I know that I was never alone during the dark days of pain and suffering. I not only had the Lord comforting me and holding my hand every step of the way, but I have now seen others that have suffered and endured so much more than I could even imagine. Going on home visits here to pray over people who have nothing compared to 90% of the world has given me a whole new perspective on praying. The women and families I have visited with have all been so honored to invite me into their homes, to share their stories and struggles with me, and to have me place my hands on their hurting, aching bodies. Who has ever been honored for me to pray for them back home? Praying—being able to communicate with the King of the Universe is just such a gift God has given all of us. I tend to forget this simple blessing that I need to make more of a habit in my day to day living. The people here have nothing materialistically, yet they have EVERYTHING they will ever need in Jesus.

I am standing in the middle of the courtyard on the last day of our program in Ramaroka with the children. The sky is falling with tears from the angels. God must have known our team would be sad to leave these beautiful blessings and this stunning village. I pray that the love we showed the children will last weeks, even months after we leave. Our hearts cry out and we ask God to bless these children, to keep them safe, wrapped in our Lord’s loving arms. I pray that our words and love trickle down their cheeks, just like the rain is right now in this very moment. I stand here today as woman of God, a woman after God’s heart, a woman that’s heart is breaking for the things I have seen and can’t change alone. The team’s heart is breaking in the same way. We want to fix everything, yet this battle isn’t ours to fix. All we can do is trust God—know God used us all in mightier ways than we thought possible.

I stand here with three beautiful children at my feet; children who are preciously holding bubbles in their small, brown hands and sharing them contently. These bubbles are like gold to them; something they never have. They are laughing, beaming with joy. Grins spread across their faces as they grip onto my legs a little tighter. I believe they sense we have to leave. I stand here writing, trying to capture this beautiful moment with words. I am writing fast, for I don’t want to miss a moment, yet I want to make sure I remember how I felt standing here while the rain comes down. Three sets of big, brown eyes are looking up at me, wondering what I am doing standing alone in the middle of the courtyard, pen and paper in hand, in the rain. They stare at me, asking me silently to love them. My eyes look back and tell them that I do love them. I do love them with everything I have.

Our journey here to Africa has been one that our team has prepared for a couple of months. From getting our acceptance letters, to multiple team meetings to prepare our hearts and minds for the things we have seen and endured, our team has grown quickly into a loving family that is after one thing; spreading God’s love and bringing his Heavenly Kingdom to earth. Our journey though was not a journey at all—this has been a love story, the truest, purest love story one could ever live out. This love story is now our love story with God. He’s the author, we are just the messengers.

I am forever grateful to be the messenger of the greatest love story I have been a part of. Thank you Jesus for choosing us. I graciously praise you Father for not forgetting these little children. We will be bringing all the faces, laughs, smiles, and moments with us as we leave this amazing place. Thank you for writing and being the author of this love story. May you write the sequels in each and every one of our lives as we prepare for our journey home.

As the team loads the van for the last time in Ramaroka, the rain continues to fall. Our hearts are hurting, crying out to the Lord to give us comfort, for we can not fix anything. It is so hard, because our nature is just to want to give everything we have. Our culture thinks we must give materialistically, yet the Lord asks us all to give our hearts away. We all want to give these children new clothes, new homes, and even take them home with us. That is not our job though—Jesus is the one to take care of them. It is about Him, not about us. We are not the hero. He is. Trusting Him and His will for these children is all we can do. It isn’t going to be easy, none of this has been easy. Losing ourselves time and time again this week wasn’t easy. Going home—the word home has forever changed for all of us.

Home—we aren’t there yet with our Heavenly Father, but our earthly home grew this week. We leave a new home—a home that holds new kids and new friends. Some of us became first time parents this week being able to sponsor a child. These kids, they call us their parents. Mom and dad are words that they don’t use every day or any day for that matter. The genuine smiles on the children’s faces are something pictures don’t even do justice. Knowing that these children knew by today that they were all loved by us and by God is the sole reason that all the time, money, preparation, spiritual warfare, and personal struggles were worth while for us to be here. It has been more than worthwhile—it has been priceless.

There will come a time when we will all be singing, praising God, holding hands, shouting Jambo, and playing soccer together. Nobody will be fighting over status, who makes the most money, who is the prettiest, or who is the smartest. We will all be together, equal in every way. This will be time where we will experience true happiness and joy to the utmost high. Our Heavenly Father will be right alongside of us. We will then, finally be home. Until then, we are here—striving daily to be the hands and feet of Jesus, desperately wanting to bring a world full of hatred, sorrow, pain, and suffering to His Light and His love; one orphan, one widow, one of the least of these at a time.

Oct 11th- saving a life

Thursday October 11^th, 2012

8:00am

I woke up to another wonderful morning and breakfast. The team is filled with hope, joy, and gladness this morning as well. The Lord has blessed us with so much laughter. We are always either crying or laughing. J

Devotion

Psalm 102

Whatever we go through, God is using it to make us better servants. One of the blessings of servant-hood is that our fruit will always be developed in God’s presence. It is encouraging to realize the ones who wrote the scriptures had bad days too.

The Final Judgment

Matthew 25:40 (31-46)

This passage talks about God separating the righteous and the evil. He tells us that we must do good works for the least of these, the ones who get overlooked and ignored. God doesn’t want anyone to go to Hell. People choose if they are going to hell or not. Hell was prepared for the Devil—not people. People choose the selfish ways of the Devil. Heaven was prepared for Jesus and for people. When you are serving the poor, you are seeing the face of Jesus. You are seeing Jesus in the faces of others. Whoever you see today, what are you really seeing? We all see different needs in the faces of others. Lord, Help me to see what you want ME to see in others. How can I help others? We can serve Jesus everywhere we go. How can I serve in new ways when I go back to the states? When we become selfish we turn into serving ourselves. The battle is between our awareness of God and being filled with ourselves. Self is always there. Deny yourself friends. Take up the cross daily. View the world outside of our small view. Everything starts with worship. We must starts with worshipping and abandoning ourselves. We were created to be worshipers. We worship through serving. Our focus is on God and serving releases the Holy Spirit. Seek Him with all your heart, soul, and mind AND then all opportunities will come. Blessings will then come your way.

6:00pm

Everyday keeps getting better and better. A few of us stayed to make bricks, including myself, Chris, Robyn, Doug, and Tim while the rest of the team went on Home visits this morning. God keeps blessing us over and over each and every new day. We actually got about 300 bricks made this morning. Pastor Fredie wasn’t there with water or tools this morning, so Tomecio and I went looking for rocks. We shared with each other what the Lord was teaching us—simplicity of life. I’ve never in my life looked for rocks at home. I have never even taken the time. We found some beautiful red, white, and brown rocks on our hunt. After work this morning we headed up the City Hall for lunch. All week Andres’ wife Nellie has been making us amazing lunches. Todays was chicken and rice and a banana salad.

A few of us didn’t work with the kids today, because our sponsored kids didn’t show up the other day. Tomecio, Stacy, Susan, Johnnie, and I got to go back to Segkopo to see and meet our kids for the first time. I could hardly contain myself. God had been calling me and speaking to me about sponsoring Obed before I came to Africa. I ended up going through with it, and the day finally came to meet him for the first time. I hadn’t expected today to be as hard as it was. I had the privilege and blessing to meet my sponsor boy, Moises, in Nicaragua this summer for the first time. I thought meeting him would have prepared me to meet Obed. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Elias, one of the leaders at Segkopo’s drop-in center called Obed over when we arrived at the center. He was more beautiful than the picture I had seen on the computer back at home. He had beautiful big brown eyes, curly eye lashes, and was wearing his uniform with a red, athletic jacket. I could tell he was nervous and very shy. I had a few weeks to prepare for this moment, but he had only had a few days. Elias proceeded to tell him that I was from America and that I was his new sponsor. At first, I didn’t think he spoke much English, but I later found out he spoke very good English, he just was very shy. I told Elias to tell him that he could go back to playing soccer if he wanted to. He walked back and joined the other boys on the red, dirt field.

I went out to the sidelines of the dirt field. I stood on those sidelines, with tears streaming down my cheeks. This sweet boy was precious. He secretly looked over to see what I was doing and if I was watching periodically. I pictured the soccer fields back home, dotted with many parents and grandparents cheering their children on during their practices and games. This boy, my boy, he didn’t have parents. He probably had never had any adult watch him play soccer before. But God chose me to be standing there. I was standing there as his support system. With me sponsoring Obed, I am not only providing food  and education for him. I am providing him hope and love; something that he has never had. Standing there made me realize that God’s sole purpose for my life was just that. I was meant to be standing there, watching this sweet, beautiful boy play soccer. Nothing else mattered but that moment. It is one that is forever ingrained in my heart. I was a proud mom today. I am a mom of two beautiful boys that just need hope and love to succeed in life. I pray that they both experience and feel God’s love for them every day of their lives. I pray Obed felt loved today by God and myself. He is one special boy amongst hundreds of children just as special who need somebody to just care.

Friends, I am a single, working woman that never thought I could make such a difference to children. I pay $35 to both boys each month. It really is the best money I spend all month long. I challenge you all to sponsor a precious child, whether it is through NRN or Horizon International, or any other organization. I am open to pointing you in the right direction if this is something you believe God is calling you to do. I honestly believe this is something God is calling us all to do as believers. Scripture is everywhere to prove this. It just might be something you have considered and I challenge you to pray about it. Open up your heart and ask God if this is something He wants you to do. I promise, it is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life.

Despite Obed’s home life, he is a sweet, well-behaved boy. Before I knew it, Johnnie signaled to me that it was time to leave. I made Obed a homemade picture book for him to see my family, friends, and gymnasts back home. I even had a map to show him where I lived relative to Segkopo. He loved It. I also brought him a bag of goodies. Each and every team member sponsors kids, and it was so amazing to share the amazing experience of meeting them for the first time. All of our hearts are forever changed by these beautiful children of ours. As Johnnie called me to come to the van, I told him I needed to say bye to Obed. I couldn’t imagine having to say bye. I just met him; my sweet boy. He calmly walked over, and I told him I needed to go but that I loved him, was so happy to meet him, and that I would see him again soon. I also made sure to let him know that I would be thinking of him and praying for him every day that I was gone. He smiled, I hugged him and I left my baby right there. My baby—with a piece of my heart. Africa and this sweet boy, with eyes that sparkle with Jesus’ light forever have a place in my heart. Thank you Jesus. What an amazing day I have God to thank for. He is working all around me in a hurting country. The children are beyond wonderful.

Tomorrow is going to be a very hard day. I thought today was going to be hard, but saying goodbye to Ramaroka and the children is something I do not want to do. Saying goodbye to Obed was so incredibly hard. I know it seems crazy because we just met, but I feel like I said goodbye to someone I have known my whole life.

Debriefing after dinner tonight was hilarious. Tomecio has a special talent of eavesdropping. She calls it ear hustling but I thought it was calling air hustling. We all died laughing when I made a fool out of myself, calling it air hustling. Doug’s hair was also in rare form, and Sandy made a funny comment about it. I got to talk to my mom and grandpa tonight! They both were so excited to hear from me. Missing and praying for everybody back in the states.

Thank you Jesus for breaking my heart time and time again. What a beautiful day today was. J

Oct 10th- Another day in Heaven

Wednesday October 10^th

Tomecio, Stacy, and I stayed up late chatting about the adoption process and how crazy our society is. There are so many children that need good homes, yet the system makes it impossible almost to provide this for children. We had a great time laughing and discussing what the Lord is doing in all of our hearts.

Devotion—

Psalm 37:3-6 “Trust in the Lord, and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord, Trust him, and he will help you.

Phil 4:4-13

Do not worry or be anxious about anything, but pray and be thankful. Jesus is showing our team that we have SO MUCH to be thankful for. Thankfulness is the language of faithfulness. Thankfulness also unleashes God's resources. We must be proactive. Stay thankful-- the peace of God will guard our hearts and rescue our hearts. Friends, fix your eyes on what is beautiful, right, and true. The kids we are working with are said to be ugly, dirty, and not beautiful because of their status level in this world. They are beautiful though, they are perfect in every way because God created them. Jesus tells us to practice being thankful. To practice we must do. We must get our mind right. Start rejoicing and praising God for the things He has given us. Everything we have is from God. We didn't earn it by our hard works. God blessed us with everything we have. Through this experience, I am learning to be content in every situation. I can make it through anything with the Lord holding my hand.

As Christians we are told that if we give our life to Christ we will have an easier life; all our problems will be solved. I believe that statement is false. You must lose your life. Allot of the time we pray for things to end that God wants us to go through. God takes us through things so we can slowly lose our life. Do you understand what I mean by you must lose your life? Being born in America is a blessing in itself that most of us take for granted. The life that we live in America is something that very few have been given. Losing my life requires me to step out of my comfort zone and into hard, tough, heartbreaking situations, like the one my team and I are experiencing here in Africa. It doesn't mean I have to kill myself and fret about how wrong I have been and how inconsiderate I have been with the blessings I have been given and the life I have been living. I just have to let go of my life; the life I have been seeking out. The life that is centered on what Meghann Raub wants and desires, to the life that God wants me to live. I must let go. Let God do what he wants with my life, which is His life anyway.

Romans 12:1-2 says that we must adopt the attitude of offering ourselves daily. Don't conform to this world; renew your mind by fixing your gaze on God and asking Him to give you eyes to see the things that break His heart every day.

5:30pm

What another amazing day! J It was payday in Ramaroka today. This happens once a month. All the older people receive a pension from the government. We drove to the work site and the area around the City hall was completely transformed. The dirt road out from was lined with venders selling food and goods. Hundreds of people stood in line and the City hall gates were heavily guarded with men holding guns. The people were waiting in line to get their checks inside the gates. Most of us decided we wanted to take a look at the market and talk with the people. Most of us bought scarfs and a few bracelets. The best part was interacting with the people. We told them that we were building a church. We invited them to come once it was done. Most of them were eager to see and learn about what we were doing. The market travels, because it knows most people do not have cars. They come on payday, because they know people will need to buy food and goods. Most of the people in this village have no idea how to write, so in order to get their checks they identify themselves with a thumb print.

The team got a great start on the brick making today. We made cement bricks by hand. We had a few forms and we made many bricks today. I think we made about 500, and the church needs roughly 4000 to be built. The program with the kids today was about prayer—teaching the kids how to pray to God. Doug called me up in the beginning of the program to talk to the children about my gymnastics training and had me tell them that it took a lot of training to be a good gymnast just like it takes a lot of training to be a faithful child of God.

The team had an amazing time dancing and singing with the kids to begin the program. I even enjoyed coloring with the older kids, our coaches. We played more relays today. We still stretched and the kids were so well behaved today. They were just as eager to participate, and they understood better today what was going on. One race we did today required the children to hold a soccer ball between their legs and jump to us and turn around and go back. It was so funny. All the children were laughing and cheering along. The thing that I really noticed was that the kids weren’t concerned about winning or beating the other teams out. They all just wanted to have a turn and had fun in doing so. They cheered everybody on, not just their own team members. I thought that was really interesting to see. In America, we are all so competitive and we almost miss the point of playing games all together.

 

Our team is really bonding too. The team is really something else. We all complement each other. Doug and Johnnie even said “Bye” today. J Johnnie even taught us how to say bye in Africans. We are on our way back to Ave Maria now. I am excited to work another day tomorrow for the Lord and His children, with my amazing new family and friends.

Oct 9th- Smiles, Laughter, and Love

Tuesday October 9^th

 I slept really well last night, the best Ive slept here yet! J I got up early to take a shower. Praise the Lord there were NO bugs in it today! I read Matthew 13 about the Parable of the Farmer. Breakfast was great! I ate way too much of course. We are all sitting in the meeting room, waiting to start devotions. Robyn found some mysterious chunks in her milk this morning—Sandy said, “Oh, you know the membrane?” We all died laughing about it.. one of those jokes that will last the remainder of the trip.

Devotions

Luke 21:37-38 “ Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. The crowds gathered at the Temple early each morning to hear him.”

This passage even states that the very first thing Jesus did in the morning was to go to the Temple and teach. We must give God the first fruits of our day. God gave us His first fruits; Jesus. Think about what we give to God. What day is Sunday? Saturday is the last day of the week. Calendars should start with Sunday, yet our society says Sunday is the last day of the week. God deserves our best. We must go to God early and give him our very best part of the day. Find time early in the morning to hear Him, pray with Him, and listen to Him.

Mark 9:30-37 Jesus Again Predicts His Death, the Greatest in the Kingdom

“Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know he was there, for he wanted to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” They didn’t understand what he was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant. After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing on the road?” But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”

n  A lot of people don’t value children—they don’t have value, they are the least of these. We must receive someone that can’t give us anything back. Children are the least of these. The younger, sick orphans even get pushed aside here. You should approach God with a child-like Spirit. Embrace children’s spirits. There are no boundaries when you are children. God wants us to ask the Father and not worry after that. We need to know God is going to give us what our hearts desire.

n  The disciples were arguing about power and authority. Does that sound familiar? Everybody wants power, status, and money in our society. Kids are never afraid to ask any question, yet we are afraid to ask God questions. We don’t ask, because we don’t want to hear God’s plan. We want to make our own plan. Anyone that wants to be first, must be last of all. Jesus was trying to shot and tell his disciples to stop arguing and go out and serve. Put yourself last. Jesus put himself last. Why does God use a child here in the story? Children give without thinking. When you serve a child, they don’t have status. You serve them and you go on. Children don’t have anything but their love to give back. Don’t do something for someone to get something out of it. You are welcoming God when you serve.

n  When you go fishing you use bait. You don’t need bait to fish with God. We are the bait. The relationship is the bait.

9:30pm

God keeps breaking my heart over and over. He keeps giving me and blessing this team with greater days than the previous day. Today was an amazing, incredible, breath-taking “God” day. I got to experience Heaven on earth today. We arrived at the work site about 9:00am this morning. We saw where the new church is going to be laid out. We met the work crew as well. They were very friendly, but not at all efficient like our society expects work crews to be. They came totally unprepared to start work. I also almost killed myself trying to uproot a bush with a pick ax. The heavy end slid down the handle and was within inches of hitting my face. I decided to stop using the tool after that.

All the women decided we would go with Johnnie and go on some home visits with a nursing crew. We ended up going to six different homes in the village there in Ramaroka. I’m going to take some time to describe each of the visits. The first visit was to a very old woman. She had an “I love Jesus” hat on and was wrapped up in layers of clothes. Today it was a bit chilly out. The woman didn’t know the Lord, but she said she didn’t have any money until pay day tomorrow and she was very hungry. I went back to the van to look for any food that we had. I found some water and cookies and brought them to her. She was very grateful. She told us that we were a miracle sent to her. I started crying, as did a lot of the other team members. It was so humbling to know I was sent by God to come and pray over her. We brought this woman to the Lord for the first time. It was very powerful. We all placed our hands over her hurting, frail body and took turns praying out loud for this woman’s needs.

The second house was bigger and we met two elderly brothers who needed prayer. One had eye problems and the other had mental issues. These men looked very old. Their hands were very worn and leathery. Every wrinkle on their faces told a story—their eyes said so much. There were a few children at the house. Sandy brought some pillow dresses and blankets made by friends back home and gave a few away to the children at the house. As we were leaving the house, a few children were staring at us across the street behind a fenced in house. Sandy tried to go to the fence to give the children dresses. They all turned around and ran towards the house in fear of Sandy. These children were afraid of us because we are white. Can you imagine? These children have probably never seen white people. Ramaroka is a village of only a few thousand. The village has limited water, and the only access is from a well. People walk miles just to get water they need to survive the day. Can you imagine not having a sink to turn on, a toilet to flush, or a shower to turn on to rinse yourself off in? Dirt roads are all they have. The dirt is a deep red, making feet and shoes stained. Donkeys, goats, chickens, and cows line these roads and some even walk in the middle of them. No Walmarts are in sight. The village has opened our eyes to the many blessings God has provided for us that we take for granted.

The third and fourth homes were homes to believers of Christ. One was an older lady that had side pains and we prayed over her. One was a little boy that had missed school and was very sick. We invited him to attend our program in the afternoons once he got better.

We then went to Gladysis’ house, where her dad lives. She is one of the nurses that has been helping us today. She speaks very good English, but she wanted us to meet her dad and pray over him. He was a very funny man. He understands English, but he can not speak at all due to health issues. He makes noises and says “Yah.” He has diabetes, a very swollen foot, and is in a wheelchair. He had been working yesterday  and fell out of his wheelchair. He banged up his face and eye really bad. He had us all laughing though. He was a very lively guy. A village woman on the streets had noticed that we were praying over David, and she approached Tomecio thinking she spoke the language and was from there. She told us that we were going to her house to pray over her husband and that she was going to ride in our car there. She was hilarious and we later found out her name was Flora. Her husband had also had a stroke, and we met him and prayed over him. We told a lot of the people we met today that we would pull our clothes together and bring them new clothes and shoes. We all brought way too many clothes and between the ten of us on the team we can pull together a lot to give away.

We then went back to the City Hall to set up for our first day with the kiddos and to kick off our program! Two kids killed a snake in the front yard and Johnnie chased Tomecio and I around with it on a stick. The bathroom situation here is very interesting. There are almost likes stone/wood portapots. They don’t have doors, so we go in groups to watch out for one another so nobody walks in. Sandy missed the toiled while squatting today. All of a sudden I heard, “Oh Jesus I missed the hole!” Sandy then walked out with her pants totally soaking wet. I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants. We took pictures and laughed amongst the other team members.

The kids showed up very excited—none of us really knew what to expect or how many kids to expect. We had about 150-175 kids that first day! We were so excited so many showed up! We split all of them into 3 groups based on age. We had 30 minute group session; one group went to crafts, one went to games, and one stayed inside the hall to learn a Bible lesson and listen to a story. Our theme for the program was Olympic oriented and called Cross Training. We had about 12 “coaches” and gave out cross training tshirts to the older kids. They were in charge of keeping the kids in order and translating for us. Most of the coaches have been sponsored and gone through the same programs as well. Doug and Tomecio taught the lesson today, while Chris, Tim, Sandy, and I were in charge of games. Stacy, Susan, Robyn, and Meri did crafts with the kiddos.

I have never in my short 24 years of life experienced Heaven on earth like I did today playing outside with the kids. There is a large dirt soccer field about a 50 yards away from the City hall. We decided that we would get the kids in a big circle to stretch out first, then follow with relay races. The kids have never seen people stretch before, let alone play a relay game. They were so eager to learn and engage in the activities. I stood in the middle of the great big circle while the coaches spread themselves out amongst the big circle. Each group we saw had about 60 kids in each group, so our circles were huge! Standing in the middle of the circle calling out stretches and watching the kids smile and try to imitate was something I will never forget. The kids laughed and made faces when something really stretched or hurt. They laughed and giggled at the various moves we did. Stretching is a part of my every day life, whether I stretch before I work out or when my girls at gymnastics stretch. I have always looked at stretching as an everyday part of my day. These kids, stretching was a new thing they had never even thought about, heard of, or seen. It was unbelievable to see all of them having so much fun just doing basic stretching. Sandy and I set up rocks earlier today to mark the starting and ending places of the relay races and teams. We split the big groups into 3 teams and they all made single file lines. They learned for the first time how to do relay races. The kids LOVED THEM! They had never learned to concept of one person going at a time, and racing back to tag the next person in lines hand. They laughed, encouraged each other one, yelled, and had the best time. The joy in all of their faces was just a sight to see. Even seeing the “babies” try to do it was just priceless. None of the kids were too shy, and they all wanted to take turns. We did running races, races with the soccer balls, crab walks, and bear walks which was turned into Lion walks because they didn’t know what bears were.

The kids were so eager to just be with us; touching our hands, watching our every move. All eyes were on us, and it was amazing to have their full attention. We wrapped up the program with singing and dancing as a whole group back inside the City Hall. We laughed and danced. The coaches even looked like they were having fun. I thanked them for coming and got to know quite a few of them today. The end of the day when they kids left was one of my favorite parts of the day. All the children wanted to shake our hands—wanted to touch us before they left. They were filled with pure joy—only joy that comes from Jesus. It was a moment I will never forget. No parents came to pick up these precious children—they all left the hall and walked along the red, dirt roads back to their homes. There was no parent pick up like we have back at home. They just all retreated back to where they came from. The team then packed up the van and headed back to Ave Maria, talked about how we can get more involved in sponsorship, how we get Northview and other people involved once we go back home.

I find myself asking the Lord, now what? Lord, what do you want me to do with this life you have blessed me with? Where do you want me to go next? Open up my eyes, ears, and heart to seeing, hearing, and feeling your presence. Help me to know your plan and will for my life. I am open to any door. The doors are all open. Show me the way and I will follow. I want to love Jesus through loving these kids that have very few people that love them. These kids do not know what love is. Help this team to know how to show your life. Help us to be more like you tomorrow. Thank you so much for allowing us to experience Heaven on earth today. Your kingdom, it was here today. It was here in a small village in South Africa. We tasted home today.

 

Oct-8th God's beautiful creation

Monday October 8^th, 2012

Last night Stacy and I had a throw down with a flying roach. We threw a towel on top of it, folded it up, and threw it out the door. Let me rephrase that, Stacy did most of it. I hid behind a door. The roach had originally been on my foot. I screamed and flicked it off and the madness began. “Not on my watch”, is what Stacy said after she threw the bug out. We laughed till we cried.

We all slept very well, with air conditioning even! We woke up to a cloudy and windy day. We met David at the other Lodge where we ate dinner last night. We first took a short walk in their treatment center. We saw African dogs and a King Cheetah that had a broken leg. The cheetah was beautiful. There are only 40 King Cheetahs in the world. They are a little bigger than regular cheetahs, and their spots kind of run together like strips. She was gorgeous. We got within 3 feet of her. We took the jeep out to the bush—on the way we saw a baby rhino and mother. We all got out of the jeep and started walking. We then got introduced to three cheetah siblings; Flopsy, Hunter, and Tombo. They were incredible. We got to pet them and pose with them. I went over to Flopsy with David. I started petting his face and chin and David grabbed my hand to scare me. I jumped back and David and Doug had a good laugh. I also got stuck in a thorn bush, which David had to help me out of. David had a much bigger gun with him today, which calmed everyone’s nerves alittle bit, especially Tomecios.

The cheetahs were amazing though—the whole game lodge gave u a completely different perspective of God. Seeing God’s creation in that way was so incredible. God has made us such a beautiful place to live. The Bush was so peaceful and it was very special to be able to walk with the cheetahs through it this morning. We even got to see them chase after a gazelle. None of us were ever scared. God really gave us an incredible, once in a life time experience today.

We had an amazing breakfast at the Lodge this morning, followed by a wonderful devotion out of John 15.

Devotion—

God chose us. We didin’t choose Him. We simply respond to his calling or we don’t. He chose us to bear fruit. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” I can not be fruitful unless I remain in Him. Apart from Jesus, I can do nothing. John 15 states a lot of “ if you do this, if you keep my commandments… then I will give you fruit.

It talked about how we are vines and branches. God prunes the bad out of our lives so we can grow and bear good fruit.  Jesus is trying to eliminate stuff that doesn’t matter in your life, because it will take away from the good in life. We have the knowledge. We must educate, live the word. Our motivation should be different about serving because we love God, not because we want to be rewarded. Our team is learning that we must serve in all areas of life. We have so many resources, yet we tend to hoard them, keep them for ourselves.

We then headed to the Horizon offices in Tzaneen. We first stopped at a shopping area where I got a beautiful Africa charm and necklace. We all got really interesting things.

“Who has run on the side of a road in Africa?” “We have!”
 We got to met Nellie and Andres, their grand children, and a few of the workers at Horizon. A truck filled with food stopped and we helped unload the supplies into the building. The food will be sent out to different locations to prepare meals at Drop-In centers for children. We hurried back to Ave Maria, got all of our sponsor gifts and headed to Segkopo to the drop in center there. How awesome it was to meet all the kids and see what five years of work and relationships look like in Africa. Northview has donated a lot of time and money into this center. It was beautiful. It even had a computer room. It is kind of like what our YMCA’s are like here in America, but just for the children after school. Seeing and interacting with the kids was incredible. I can’t really even begin to describe it. A lot of the team members got to meet their sponsor children for the first time. What a neat experience that time was for them.

These kids consider their sponsors to be their American parents. They don’t have parents. It is a very emotional experience for both, the kids and the sponsors. The kids got to eat a hot meal and then we started our program. Doug introduced our team, and of course he made me do a back flip in front of all 300 people.

The choir was so amazing today and I broke down crying when they sang “This Little Light of Mine”. I need to let that light shine. Jesus has chosen me. I did not chose him. He already hand picked me—for me to be a light to the poor, the needy, the orphans. God is really opening up my heart and eyes. I want him to use me in every way possible to glorify Him and bring more people to Him. Obed, my little boy, wasn’t there today. Stacy and Tomecio’s children weren’t there either so we will be coming back later on in the week.

We came back to Ave Maria to eat dinner and we had a long team discussion on how the church’s number one mission needs to be on being the image of God. The only way we can do that is to be like Jesus.

What did Jesus do? Feed the needy, love the weary, and care for the widows and orphans. I must be a light to show to others the need for sponsorship—the need for people to be serious about saving the orphans of this world. I need to show people through my actions that serving others brings you closer to God and brings you true happiness. I am not the solution—just a catalyst. The kids are the future of this broken country.Africa needs children to believe in themselves, so they can change this hurting country! We debriefed for a while and sorted through gifts, crafts, and blew up soccer balls. We are all so excited and ready to work hard tomorrow for the children. I am in charge of games with Chris and Tim. We are so excited about them! We are going to teach them how to stretch and play relay races. Each group has 20-30 minutes at each station. We have a craft station, a game station, and a teaching lesson station. We have no idea how many kids will show up, but we are excited to love on them and have a great day tomorrow.

Lord, help us to be an inspiration to all the children tomorrow. Let your light shine through all of us tomorrow. Thank you Jesus for another wonderful day.