Letters, Love and Prayers Vol.7

Dear Family and Friends!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s the end of 2010 already! I don’t know about you, but this year has just flown by! I’m home in Tampa for just a few short days to celebrate Christmas with the family before heading off to South Africa soon. I finished the 12 week Lesson Phase of my Discipleship Training School recently, and I have to say, it was the most life changing 12 weeks of my life. If you haven’t been on my blog lately, check out the video recap I posted as well! But here’s just a glimpse of what God has been doing in me the past 3 months…
• Challenging His Lordship in my life. I went into this training with my own thoughts, plans, ideas and during this week on Lordship, God really challenged me to make Him Lord over all. I found so much freedom this week.
• Rich Hodge from Kruger, South Africa came in and taught our class and his week was pretty phenomenal. He talked about the importance of heart change, if we ever want to see any change in thoughts, emotions or behaviors. A good lesson not only for the people we will be ministering to in South Africa, but in our own lives too!
• I love how maturing in my relationship with Christ is a never-ending process. In a week with Steve Shamblin, he walked us through what a babe in Christ, a child of God, and a young man/woman of God looked like. I was humbled to realize how much further I have to go. But excited to press into God and reach new depths with Him!
• Dean Sherman, a YWAM big gun, came and spoke a week on Spiritual Warfare. Ironically, the truth that stuck with me from that didn’t have too much to do with spiritual warfare at all! Dean talked about the realms that are at work right now…the physical world and the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is not a place, but a lifestyle. Living as Christ did, living as though we have a King, is bringing the kingdom of heaven to the physical world. And it attracts people to God. Our lifestyle is our biggest witness.

So those are just a few nuggets I walked away from DTS with. I have so much more that I’m still processing and attempting to apply. I hope you know how much your prayers and support have meant to me during this time. It was so revolutionary!

Now what’s next? Well, South Africa! We leave January 12th for Rustenburg, where we will spend time doing children’s ministry, feeding programs, and hospice care. From Rustenburg, we will travel to Botswana, where our team will split into two. One group will do prayer walks and Vacation Bible Schools for the children. The other team [mine!] will travel another 4 hours and be doing door to door evangelism and teaching. After Botswana, we will be back in Rustenburg for a few more weeks, then head over to Kruger, South Africa. We will spend the remainder of our time here. We will be doing more children’s ministry, some light construction, and more feedings. We arrive back in the States on March 9th. It sounds like a long time, but I know already that it will fly by!

Here’s a few prayer needs for the upcoming months…
1. Safety & Health. Please lift up our travel to and throughout South Africa/Botswana. Also, please pray for the health of our team.
2. Team Finances. Several of my team members are still needing their outreach funds in the next few weeks. Please pray that God provides and they are able to ask the right people while home for Christmas break.
3. Ministry. We have several great ministry opportunities planned, but ultimately, we want to be sensitive to what God is telling us to do in these locations. Please pray for our planned ministry and the unplanned ministry. Pray for changed lives!
4. Personal Finances. My training costs are completely covered [yay God!], but I’m still needing a smaller amount to cover my bills while I am in South Africa. Please pray that God provides on my behalf as well, as He always does.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. I am humbled that you are walking this journey with me. I’d love to hear from you, so please email me back or give me a call to catch up as well. Without my incredible network of prayer warriors and supporters, I couldn’t be living this amazing life God has called me to. THANK YOU!! I pray that you and your family are blessed this holiday season. Be looking for my next update from SOUTH AFRICA!!!