Video Update #2

Testimony

Back in April, I got the amazing opportunity to share about what the Lord has done in my life at one of UGA’s Campus Outreach meetings. Not long before the school year ended and the team left for Johannesburg, a sweet friend of mine mentioned that she’d actually really like to see it on the blog. On top of that, I actually got to share my testimony at the first 3D meeting we attended (3D is COJ’s weekly outreach meeting) which was a really cool privilege I never expected! Here’s what I shared, adjusted for blogging format.

Just to tell you a little bit about myself, I just finished my second year at UGA. I transferred from Berry College in my junior yeat, about two years ago, and I’m studying Music Education.

Coming to know the Lord was a process for me. I grew up as a pastor’s daughter, so I was highly exposed to Christianity my whole life. By the time I got to college, though, I was mostly living for myself, and I thought I would find happiness and satisfaction in my career. Even though I’d been around Christianity my whole life, I was questioning the existance of God, but still afraid of going to hell when I died. As a result, I was really fearful and felt guilty for the choices I was making. In hindsight, I can see just how lost and blind I was at the time. If you had asked me what grace was then, I wouldn’t have been able to give an accurate definition.

This fear and guilt led me to get involved with an investigative Bible study some girls on my hall were leading. If God were real, I wanted to make sure I was doing the right things to please him. I was so stuck though in this dichotomy of guilt and works. I would watch trashy shows on MTV with my roommate, and then I felt like I needed to let people cut in front of me the next day in the dining hall to make up for it. Eventually they asked me if I wanted to go on Summer Beach Project, so I went because that’s what Christians do.

Getting to go on this Beach Project was probably the biggest blessing in my life. I was surrounded by believers who were encouraging me to keep seeking the Lord. My room leader told me to go to the Lord in prayer every time I was doubting the existance of God. With all the teaching and studying I had been doing, the idea of Jesus was really appealing to me; I wanted him to be real so much that I was actually somewhat disciplined in begging the Lord to open my eyes. Again, now that I’m on the other side, I can see how Satan was using that doubt to harm me and prevent me from becoming one of God’s children.

I can’t point to a specific moment that it happened, but by the end of Project, I knew I had become a Christian. I was amazed by how God is consistent with Himself and knew He had to be real. Grace made sense. I could define it. It was truth that I could cling to. No amount of works and letting people cut in front of me in the dining hall could save me or make God love me, but Jesus paid for all my sins with His blood. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, because the way I came to know the Lord, I had so much joy in finally receiving salvation after praying for it for seven weeks. And it proved to me that God does hear and answer our prayers.

Now, Jesus is my Lord, and I want to submit to him in everything. Instead of focusing my life decisions and choices based on what I think will make me happy, I want to glorify God by the choices I make. I still struggle with wanting to make music the center of my life, but I know and firmly believe He’s working on me and changing the desires of my heart.

Because getting to know God’s character through the Word was such a significant part of how I became a Christian, I wanted to just sum up with a couple verses from Psalm 18:16-19: “He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”

Ministry Update in Skoonveld

Hey everyone! I thought it was high time for me to let you know how things are going down here in Joburg! We’re now finishing week two of our ministry in Skoonveld. We’ve met several girls, and our first week was spent mostly just getting to know them. Now we’re turning our focus more toward getting to know where they are spiritually.

This question is a little more tricky to answer than it would be back home in the States. They’re highly involved with churches and Bible studies, they can quote all kinds of scripture and know the Sunday school answers to the spiritual questions that come up in conversation. So the problem for us is that in the culture here in South Africa, most students are so exposed to Christianity that it’s hard to figure out if they are indeed true Christians. I think the key in sharing the gospel with them is going to be showing them that involvement in spiritual activities isn’t what saves us, but faith alone in Christ is what does (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Another challenge in sharing the gospel is that we have to overcome is the Health, Wealth and Prosperity “gospel.” A lot of students choose their course of study because of the money they’re hoping it will bring them. So one thing Lawton and I are striving to make really clear is that being a Christian and persevering in the faith doesn’t mean that your life is going to turn glamorous. It doesn’t mean that you’ll start getting good grades and become wealthy, all your relationships will go smoothly, etc, and that life will be perfect. But, what we do get is eternal life with the Father. In brief, we’re trying to show them that our treasure becomes what is in heaven instead of what is on earth.

On Thursday night, Lawton and I had the opportunity to share some truth and wisdom and address these issues. We found out the night before that we would be leading the Bible study our CO student leaders, TK and Beulah, have been leading for a couple weeks now (by God’s grace, they’ve laid a really strong foundation for ministry in Skoonveld – praise Him!). Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” so what we felt we needed to explain to the girls was how to receive eternal life. Our answer to that was that you have to surrender your will. The whole evening, girls kept cramming into the dorm room we were meeting in. I think there were about 15 in all, so it was definitely a privilege to share the gospel with so many girls at once.

Our next step will be following up with Bible study to see what the girls are thinking and feeling about everything we said. According to TK and Beulah, I don’t think these girls are used to such direct teaching and explanation, and I think it was also challenging for them to hear that you don’t have to do any works to receive salvation. I see their frustration when we talk to them about spiritual things and that they’re wanting to understand the gospel, but they just can’t yet. A lot of these girls are first year college students too, so I see a lot of myself in them because I struggled to understand the gospel at that point in my life as well. I’m asking the Lord for the opportunity to share my testimony with a girl during the next couple of days we spend on campus.

Bringing it back to our joy, the motivation and source of everything we do, I pray that they would see the beauty of the gift that’s been given to us. That is, that the Creator of the entire universe loved sinful man enough to give His only son for their atonement, redemption and sanctification, and is writing this amazing story to reconcile all things to Himself to the praise of His glory. Stay tuned! Last Saturday, a couple days ago, we had CCP Vision Night where we got to hear about what’s been happening for CO Johannesburg and all the other projects in Joburg and Praetoria, so I hope to be filling you in soon!

Support Update 3

Support Update #3 5/29/11

I’m tempted to say that these last two and a half weeks have been some of the best I’ve experienced...but there’s probably something super impactful that I’m looking over as I quickly write this email. Oxymoron? Anyway, I just want to send out another update, explaining what has been going on and how God has been working around us this last week.

The first few days of the week were fairly challenging. Majority of us were trying to push past the barrier of superficial conversations to ones of eternal meaning, but those can be hard to dive into. However, seeing our limited time and resources, we went with the boldness that God supplied and began to gauge (?) where people were at spiritually, as well as if they were even interested in the claims of Christ.

As we have been learning more and more about the culture here, we’ve discovered the importance that religion has on the individual life in South Africa. However, thats all it usually is...religion. They have all heard they Gospel dozens of times, have had many emotional experiences and have “given their life to Christ,” but all under a few misconceptions, being: their faith is very ‘self’ centered, many don’t understand that there is a need for a surrendered will to God’s will and finally, the prosperity Gospel. Another struggle for many of the girls that we have talked to is that some really are interested, but don’t know how to read the Bible. Almost each girl has a Bible that they read daily because they know they should or they are looking for more. Unfortunately, many don’t understand what it is saying and/or have no idea how to apply the Word to their life.

As we’ve finished answering most of the questions regarding America, we’ve began to have some really encouraging conversations for all persons involved. The Spirit has really been moving and opening the hearts of the girls around us to be vulnerable and genuine. To see their honesty on where they stand in relation to God (via Bridge Diaghram or Relationship Graph) and then see their hunger to know more, has been such an answer to months of prayers. We still have a few more superficial conversations that we need to push past, but I feel as if our team has regained a new energy to push forward.

A quick overview of last week’s activities:

Wednesday night we had 3D (COJ’s evangelistic meeting). Thursday night was Benjemijn’s Bible study on John 8. Friday night we had a braai (bbq) for the students. It was estimated that 75 ‘ish’ students came. We had games, music, and free food...it was great! Saturday, our team went to the Lion and Rhino park. It was ridiculous. I can’t even explain. (see pictures below...but, they do the experience no justice.) Later that night we had ‘Night of Vision’ at a local church. The 4 CCP teams down in South Africa along with the COJ staff and students came together to praise God for what He is doing back home in the States and in South Africa. Then, Neal Gooch gave a convicting talk on the need to bring God’s Word to the world through people. It certainly reignited my passion in considering moving to North Africa or the Middle East in the future. We read a nugget from a book and it really put things into perspective: “May the Lamb receive the reward of His sufferings.” Christ died so that people may have a hope to believe in that will set them free. Who are we to deny others of this tremendous gift because we want to be comfortable, safe, etc.? It is currently Sunday, and I am enjoying a much needed Sabbath. We had a luncheon with women from the Sophiatown Community Church, a nap, an interesting team run (a member of our team didn’t enjoy the cardio as much as others), and more team bonding over dinner.

I’m so thankful for these last two weeks. Between the Lord blessing my quiet times, the group talks, the encouragement in ministry, the lion park, and our team’s unity, it has certainly been a fun and growing experience. I cannot wait to continue to follow up with girls tomorrow and the rest of the week to show them that Christ came not to condem, but to show his love and offer forgiveness. Thank you so much for sharing in what God is doing down here! Please Pray:

Prayer:

- Good Time Management: There’s just not enough time in the day to do all that we desire! We’re running hard during the week, but I’m in desparate need of the Sabbath come Sunday.

-The Lord would grant us discernment on where best to use our time and resouces in Benjemijn.

-That Satan would be bound from our team (Spiritual warfare has been occuring: nigthmares, tiredness during ministry, and in numerous other ways) and from those who we are sharing truth with.

-The God would use us as instruments to make his name and glory known on Campus

-Finally, that girls in Benjemijn, and the students on the Kingsway campus, would come into the CO community where they can recieve discipleship, accountability, and the tangible love of Christ.

Cheers!

Support Update 2

Hello!

It’s amazing how much can happen in a week! I hope to try to hit the big things of

what has been going on or else this email would last for days. The most important thing to

tell of is how big God is making himself out to be on campus.

After hearing the testimonies of what each ministry team has experienced at the

end of the day, I am challenged to pray for bigger and bigger things for God to do amongst

us. After the first day, I prayed that I would enjoy ministry and not find it completely

draining. He answered.

The next day I asked that the Lord would enable us to go below the surface by

allowing for transparency and vulnerability in the girls. (A quick note about the culture

here: girls don’t mind going deep [well, semi-deep], but that doesn’t necessarily mean that

you have received their trust). This prayer resulted in a conversation with a girl regarding

a depression that she was falling into. As we were about to leave, she admitted that she had

only discussed this rough time with her mom. Later that night, we had our first Bible study

on ‘the woman at the well’ (John 4:7-15). The girls (about 7) were challenged to think of the

broken cisterns in their life. It ended up being a great platform for follow up conversations

on the broken cisterns each girl might have in her life.

Friday exposed a slight challenge as 80% of the girls were preparing to write (take

a test) on Saturday. That night we thought we would have a game night, which ended up

being a complete success, despite our initial lack of hope. We had the South African form

of hot chocolate and popcorn, all while playing games over great laughter. I really feel

that relationships were deepened as a result of that night, as well as new ones that were

formed.

Saturday showed to be restful, which was much needed after running hard all week.

We were able to sleep in a little and then have a nice workout before we went out to our

next event. We all hopped in our minibus and went to a soccer match in Soweto (township)

between two undefeated teams. It will be hard for anything else to top this experience. As

we drove into Soweto, I was overwhelmed with the vast poverty. Questions began to pop

into my head: Is there any hope for these joyful kids running around? Is God’s power really

greater than millions of people addicted to drugs, alcohol and crime? Where do you even

start with a situation like this? After going back into God’s word that and reading in the

psalms about his enduring love and compassion for the poor, I’m convinced that He will

redeem this world and His people. Though this doesn’t discount the daunting task of trying

to help their situation, it keeps me from despairing.

After we parked, we began walking to the soccer stadium to watch the Orlando

Pirates play with the CCP team from Indianapolis. Every corner we turned resulted in

a louder roar coming from the stadium (mostly due to the VuVuZelas)...it also felt like

walking into a Harry Potter Quidditch match (nerdy, I know). The game was super intense,

but we ended up winning! People from the stadium rushed onto the field and danced for

a good ten minutes. They were eventually chased off so that the official ceremony could

begin...fireworks, medals, trouphies, confetti, etc. It was incredible! I haven’t seem that

much pride and celebration in a while. Absolutely incredible. Check the CCP blog soon (next

weekish) for the next video update that has a great recap of the event. We finished the

night off with pizza, bananagrams, and an early night to bed.

Sunday proved to be a restful Sabbath. Pastor Mark (from Australia) preached on

the Prodigal Son via skit, which illuminated the realness of Jesus in each of our lives. We

then went to Pink ‘n Pay for some needed staples, followed by a reguvinating workout

in the high altitude (higher than Colorado). After some good time in the Word and a girls

ministry meeting to prepare us for this week, I’m feeling ready for this upcoming week.

Personal Goals/Prayers:

-I want to see the Lord to do big things (each day gives me more insight as to what to

specifically pray), but I also need the patience to understand that ministry is a process.

-Finding and working with the strengths and weakness amongst our ministry group; also,

that we would function well where our personal sin is not interfering with the work of God.

(Ephesians 4:2-3)

-That the Lord will grant us discernment as to which girls are genuinely interested (despite

what they may say) in finding lasting satisfaction in Christ.

Ministry Goals for CO Johannesburg:

-Invite people to our evangelistic meetings on Wednesdays from 5-6 (11-12 your time).

This past week there were over double the amount of people they usually have. Emily gave

her testimony on the journey that lead her to embrace the existence of God. Jeremy then

gave a talk on the “American dream,” and that running after things other than Jesus will

never fully satisfy.

-COJ wants to keep this momentum going as much as possible to get a large

attendance at the Joint Winter Conference (JWC) on June 24th-26th.

-By the end of the CCP we want the name ‘Campus Outreach’ to mean something to

majoirty of students on campus.

-For our team to be associated with the staff and student leaders on campus so that once

we leave, students will know how to continue to get plugged into community.

-Finally, to make a Muslim friend (a personal fav). This is more of a long-term goal that will

hopefully cause Christianity to progress further up the continent of Africa, instead of Islam

moving down the continent from North Africa

Lindsay's South African update #2

Hey everyone,

It’s hard to believe that it has already been two weeks since we’ve gotten here! Time seems like it’s flying. When we first got here they said it was winter, but it was pretty warm. Little did we know that winter right around the corner. Who would have thought it could get so cold in Africa! The girls in the picture with Lauren and I are Thompho and Robertha, they're roommates in their first year at UJ, and are just sweet as can be!

Last weekend we got the chance to visit Soweto, a township outside of Johannesburg. We learned in the previous week when we went to the apartheid museum that families were moved out of the city to this township. There were homes practically stacked on top of one another and people everywhere. Soweto has tons of residences, but it’s not the safest or nicest place in South Africa. The town itself broke my heart. While we were there we went to the Orlando Pirates soccer game. It was insanely loud and fun. People were dancing and blowing their vuvuzala’s left and right and those things are loud. I’m definitely bringing one back to the states! The crowd was way more enthusiastic than any other sports game I had ever been to. It was awesome.

The first week Lauren and I concentrated on getting to know the girls in Amper Daar. It has been great to see how all the girls we’ve met seem to love it when we visit them. God has been so faithful with our time in Amper Daar and has given us opportunities to go into deeper spiritual conversations. We’ve gotten the chance to hear some of the girls’ backgrounds and how they’ve been exposed to Christianity, most of it being prosperity gospel type stuff. The second week we've been getting into more in depth conversations.

On Wednesday Campus Outreach Joburg has their CO meeting that they call 3D and after that Amper Daar has bible study. This week in bible study we went over the bridge diagram, which covers Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. As we broke down the verse, wages, sin, death were one side. Meaning, the wages of sin is death. The other side separated by a gap was gift, god, eternal, meaning the free gift of God is eternal life. This was a clearer illustration for them to see where we as humans stand apart from God, and that the only way to bridge that gap is through Jesus Christ, our Lord. God is doing work in Amper Daar, the girls in the bible study were so intrigued. One of the girls eyes were lit up from the time 3D started until we saw her last. I think that was the first time she heard the gospel, and it’s obvious to see her desire to know more. It’s absolutely beautiful. To see them thinking and questions arising and how the Lord is working in their hearts is really neat. We’ve given a few girls the Life Issues book series, which goes through the gospel of John, and they are all extremely excited to go through it with us! The door has been opened for gospel centered conversations and chances for Lauren and I to continue to be bold with what we say and to stand firm in faith.

This Friday (today) we’re having what they call a braii (barbque). This is an opportunity to invite the girls we’ve been spending time with and for them to meet the rest of our team. It’s also a great thing for some of the girls because they hardly get off campus for anything so this will be a sweet time for them to leave campus, eat, play games, and relax before all the big end of semester tests start next week.

Also, we have the Joint Winter Conference coming up June 24-26 it’s like our New years conference we hold in Nashville every year. The JWC is going to be an exciting time for the students to learn more, get questions answered, and grow. Some of the girls show lots of interest in wanting to come. Others would like to come but are going home for their winter break. Finals end at various times, depending on the majors. Some end as early as June 7th, but for the most part they end around the 15th. This seems like a huge barrier getting them to stay on campus until the 24th but God is mighty and can tear any barrier down.

I’ve been clinging on to Colossians 4:2-6. It says, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison- that I may make clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best us of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” This goes along so well for our time in Africa, since we have a very limited time here, we need to be making the best use of our time, loving these girls and proclaiming Christ.

Please continue to pray, here are some things you can be praying for:
-That God would continue to work in the hearts of these girls
-For the JWC, that any and all barriers would come crashing down.
-That Lauren and I would run hard for the next 22 days we have on campus, being bold in sharing.
-For the team, that we would have unity and be encouraging to one another.
-Patience, I am so quick in wanting to see results now that I forget that the Lord is perfect in His timing.
-Energy- these days seem long and can be exhausting

I miss y’all and hope that everything in Georgia and Florida (for those of you at SLP this summer) are going wonderful and I have to admit, I’m jealous for how warm you guys are. Thank you for all the encouraging emails and for all your prayers!
Love,
Lindsay

Week Two: TIA (This is Africa!)

Hey guys,

So much has happened in this past week. I can’t believe that my team has been in South Africa for two weeks already! Last weekend we had the opportunity to go to a soccer game at Orlando stadium in Soweto. It was a huge game because both teams were undefeated: the Orlando Pirates and the Golden Arrows. We had a blast cheering on the Pirates (and they ended up winning too!) The crowd was hyped up the whole game blowing their vuvuzalas, dancing and cheering. Below is a picture of the stadium and of Me, Lindsay and Lawton enjoying the game (in our Pirates shirts of course).

Driving through the townships in Soweto was a huge eye opener for me. These townships are where people were sent from Johannesburg to live during Apartheid. Seeing little children peer over fences outside their homes at us really struck our hearts. Spending most of my time so far in Johannesburg, I hadn’t experienced much of the poverty that exists in parts of South Africa.
Time on campus this week has been incredible. On Monday night, Lindsay, Kira, Tebogo and I were spending time in Amper Daar and in our last hour decided to go visit a second year girl named Lethabo
on the second floor. We had met her briefly before but didn’t have a whole lot of time to talk with her. I was absolutely exhausted at this point and my heart wasn’t really into hanging out with anyone else. When we walked in, she and a group of about five other girls were having a Bible study. They invited us to stay and are going through a book including difficult topics for college students. The girls meet nightly to pray, encourage each other, and learn more about the Lord. What a sweet surprise for us to see! The Lord really met me where I was and I think He really used that experience to thaw, or soften, my heart. His power is made perfect in my weakness.

Wednesday nights are the Campus Outreach evangelistic meetings and Bible study in Amper Daar. This week’s Campus Outreach meeting was one of the clearest times I’ve heard the gospel—the Lord really opened my ears. Jeff, who is on staff with Campus Outreach in Johannesburg, spoke about a movie called 127 Hours. This movie is based on a true story about an adrenaline junkie named Aaron who is adventuring in a desert-like climate when he falls into a narrow canyon and his arm is pinned under a rock. This canyon is very deep and Aaron has no way to call for help. He is there for days, and eventually runs out of food and water. His arm, being pinned under the rock for so long, begins to decompose. Aaron has tried everything to free himself and it gets to the point that if he wants to live he will have to remove his arm in order to escape. That’s exactly what he does—and as a result, he lives. This movie raises the question to me, what if I was Aaron--Would I do the same thing in order to live?

After the movie clip, we went through Jeremiah 2:13 which says, “My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” The things of this world have such a hold on us, and seem quite appealing at first glance, that we have forsaken God and the spring of living water that He has offered us, in exchange for the world’s broken cisterns. We have taken things other than God, some of which can be good by themselves, and made them the center of our lives—whether these things are relationships, sports, academics, etc. It’s when those things become idols, or the center of our lives, that we run into a big problem. God is jealous for us, and as our Creator, He wants to be the center of our lives. These idols consume us, and keep us from having a real relationship with God, like in the clip when Aaron is pinned in the rock. God wants us to be free from these things.

In Matthew 5 it says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” If these things are keeping us from making God the center of our lives, we have to get rid of them, just as Aaron did when he had to remove his arm to free himself from under the rock. This is our only hope to truly live and experience the joy to be had in a relationship with Christ.

The Campus Outreach meeting was a nice transition into the Bible study. We went through Romans 6:23 which says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our God.” We also used a cool visual called the bridge diagram. The wage, or what we have earned, from being sinners is death—not just physical death but a spiritual death, a life apart from God. The gift of God is eternal life. How do we get from a life apart from God and a life that will lead us to death, to an eternal life spent with God? I, in all that I am, have no ability to do anything but sin. There is no way that I can be sinless. Nothing that I can do, or try to do better, will earn eternal life for me. I am always going to miss the mark of perfection, whether directly in my actions or through impure motives. How then do I get to spend life with a perfect God? Only through Christ. This is because Christ lived a perfect and blameless life. He, alone, deserves to spend eternity with God. He became sin on the cross, and paid the penalty of all of our sin through what He endured on the cross—not only an excruciatingly painful death, but He was also forsaken by God. Jesus bridges the gap between our imperfections and everything that is perfect in God. By repenting, turning away from our sin and running towards Christ, and by putting our faith in Christ, we can have a relationship with God and spend eternal life with Him. Every time I read this verse, it becomes more and more real to me. It was really cool to see the girls in Bible study respond to this verse. Some of the questions we asked afterward were “which side of the bridge do you think you’re on?”, “how do you get to the other side?” and “what is repentance and what does it look like in your life?” I know I’ve said this before, but it is so evident that the Lord is working here and wants these girls to know Him. To see the excitement and awe in their eyes as they learn more about Him is incredible.
Below is a picture of me, KK (one of the leaders in Benjemijn), and Lindsay hanging out before going on campus and a picture of one of the most beautiful places on UJ campus-the fountain!

Please continue to be praying for our team and I would love it if you could pray these things specifically:

-That the Lord would continue to be working in these girls and that there would be openings for spiritual conversations
-Clarity as to who is spiritually interested and which girls we should be investing more time in
-Unity for our team
-Boldness in our conversations
-Prayer for our braii (barbeque) tonight-it’s a big ministry event for us!
-That the Lord would be glorified and His name proclaimed throughout the nation

Thank you all for your prayers and support!

With love,
Lauren

Video Update #1

Lawton's Update: Week 1

Week one has come to a close in South Africa. It has been incredible!! As a team, we have experienced these crazy emotions of fear, weakness, encouragement, enlightenment, laughter, dependency, and everything else in between. We can literally feel ourselves being stretched and can see the growth that is occurring inside of us on a daily basis. I feel so blessed to be working alongside all of them as we are making our way into the lives of these students. God has proven himself over and over and over and we are being constantly reminded that He is GOOD. I’m learning that this fact is the only real thing I can count and depend on here and I’m clinging to it!

Emily and I have been placed in Skoonveld (pronounced “Skwonfeld”) for ministry. It’s an all girls res (or dorm) that can be compared pretty closely to a giant sorority. There are two third year girls, TK and Beaulah, who have been working through Campus Outreach to do ministry with the first year girls throughout the year and we are really lucky to get to pair with them. MK and Suz, if you’re reading this, they both say hi!!! They’ve introduced us around to so many girls and have helped us get a foot in the door. It’s incredible to see their faithfulness in the res. I know that they’re so busy with school and other responsibilities, but they have completely given their lives to these first year girls (called “Ponkies”) and have done all that they can to love them.

Our strategy for this first week was to meet as many girls as possible and just become friends with them before we go any deeper. We’re looking to bring first years into the ministry in hopes of them developing their faith through their time at UJ. We’ve begun by meeting the girls that Buealah and TK have ministered to (about 30), but will hopefully branch out to new girls next week. It’s pretty easy to talk to them and make friends when they hear we’re Americans. I can’t count the number of times i’ve been asked if I know Usher and Ludacris. I’ve been telling the truth so far, but I might start making up stories soon about how they’re my best friends just for entertainment. We’ve also fielded about a thousand questions about sorority and fraternity life and how close the show “Greek” is to reality. Jersey Shore is another favorite conversation topic.

As much as we tell them about America, though, we are learning 5 times as much about their lives and culture. The girls are so open to sharing about their everyday lives and love to teach us new things. We had a cooking lesson where we learned how to make pap (South African grits) and fried some sort of meat. When we asked the girl what kind of meat it was, she didn’t know, so we got a little nervous and stopped with the questions. I also let some girls order my dinner for me when we went to the Student Center to eat one night. I ended up with a double decker sandwich with about a whole rack of boneless ribs, a fried egg, bacon, cheese, and some other stuff I couldn’t figure out. It’s called a Dagwood. I would recommend it for those who walk/swim to South Africa from Georgia and forget to eat on the way. We’re also figuring out the new slang and when to use it. For every 10 times we attempt to use it in conversation, we usually get it right once. The girls are pretty patient with us, though, and think it’s hilarious. New favorite phrases are Now Now, Cheers, Sharp Sharp, and Slops.

Another great thing about Skoonveld are the bunnies. The res in built as a circle with a grassy courtyard in the middle. A few years ago, one of the girls bought a female pet bunny and let it live in the courtyard. Another girl thought it might be lonely, so she bought it a (boy) friend to live with. There are now about 100 bunnies. I think at one time, when there were fewer, most of them had names. We’ve found out, though, that because there are so many now, they’re all just called Stacy. If ever Emily and I are having a hard time in the res, we can just look out the window and the bunnies always make us laugh. All the Ponkies are required to be on a committee for the year. There is an entire bunny committee that just makes sure the bunnies are fed and happy.

Emily and I are working so well together as ministry partners. She has a great gift of organization and helps keep our time structured and purposeful. She remembers names like a beast and can pronounce them like a legit South African. While I do not have any of these talents, I have the gift of small talk and could carry on a conversation with a wall for 5 hours, so we have ended up being a great team! I’m really looking forward to seeing how God can use us together as His laborers this summer to impact these girls and His Kingdom!

Before our first day on campus, Jeremy gave us a motto for the summer – “No reserves, No retreats, No regrets.” It is so good to remember this as we’re wandering around the halls of the res. It is almost like we’re going into battle every afternoon when get to campus. That’s not to say that it’s not enjoyable, but we definitely feel a sense of urgency and mission as we begin each day and i’m so thankful for it.

We also met an awesome girl outside of Skoonveld one night (all the girls gather on the sidewalk to steal wifi from a building nearby) and talked to her about her experience in the res as a Christian. She said, “When you’re a Christian, either you’re living or you’re dying.” I think this is the most profoud thing i’ve heard in a long time. God does not intend for this life to be spent in a state of spiritual complacency. Life should be filled with constant opportunities to be stretched and grown in order to become closer to and more like Him. This is just another opportunity for us to allow God to grow us spiritually! I don’t remember that all the time, but I’m working on always keeping this in my mind as we’re spending time with girls.

So, thats all i’ve got for now. Thank you for all of your prayers! Keep em coming!

Prayers:

- We would love prayer for all of Skoonveld, but these girls by name: Tebogo, Tshego, Amu, Yolanda, Star, Koketso, Lungiswa, Asiphe, Gomolemo, Nqwabsa, Khosi, Inge. We are praying that these girls and many others would be spiritually interested this summer and would be open to us as we share with them.

- Boldness and Courage for the team

- That we would all be falling even more in love with the Lord through the challenges and successes of daily ministry

- Buealah and TK

- God’s will to be done

First Week On Campus

Hey guys!!

So much has happened already and we've only been in South Africa for a week! We visited the Aparteid Museum, watched some res soccer matches (and got to play some ourselves!), and had our first week on campus at the University of Johannesburg. I've discovered my passion for soccer--the thought crossed my mind of becoming a professional soccer player and staying in South Africa to continue my career, but that thought has since disappeared. (Pictures of our adventures to come... :) ) We also went to a church called Sophiatown Community Church. It was incredible to worship with South Africans--hearing them sing worship songs in one of their native languages painted such a sweet picture of God being the God of all the nations.

Lindsay and I are in a dorm, or res, called Amper Daar. Our first day on campus was Monday. It's such a blessing to be in this res--all of the girls have been so warm and welcoming. I feel so close to them already, even though it's only been a week. The leaders in the res are Precious, Ikho, Tebogo, and Pretty. They have really made us feel welcome and introduced us to a lot of the girls in the res. It seems like there is a lot of spiritual interest in Amper Daar. Within the past few days, we have been exposed to a lot of beliefs in the prosperity gospel and witchcraft. This really tugs at my heart. I want the girls to see the Lord as He truly is and to love the Blessor, not just His blessings. I had no idea how exposed to Christianity people in this country would be, or how open they would be about their beliefs. A lot of our girls grew up in church but there are not many churches that preach straight truth from what i've seen, and it's not uncommon to have a church that teaches a mixture of native African traditions, such as ancestrial worship, and Christianity, or a church that teaches its followers that if they believe in Christ they will receive a lot of blessings and prosper.

Please be praying the following prayer requests for the team and I:

-Boldness in sharing our faith
-Protection for the students against false teachers and false doctrine (Matthew 7:15-20)
-Continued unity in our team and that we would be rooted in Christ
-Perseverance and energy throughout the week
-That we would learn more about Jesus through these people and this trip

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead."

-Philippians 3:7-11

With Love,

Lauren

We're in Africa!

Hello Everyone!!

So we have officially been in Africa 6 days! Its been amazing thus far! The night we arrived, there were a good number of girls from Campus Outreach waiting at our house. They are all so welcoming and full of life. Its amazing to have brothers and sisters around the world all striving for the same goal.

I first want to tell you about the plane ride down here. Our team booked our flight rather late, due to lack of funds, so we were all split up and placed in the middle seats. On the left side of me was a middle aged man who graduated from Yale's divinity school. He had participated in the Peace Corps in Botswana working with AIDS/HIV and was on his way back to continue to develop the programs that he had started. He has also spent time in the Congo and Rwanda doing similar programs. He had so much wisdom to give about life and forming lasting relationships. The guy to the right of me was going home to Zimbabwe after finishing his first year at a private Christian college near Tampa. His father is the long time pastor of a large church in Zimbabwe, fighting to make Christ known amongst all the ancestral worship. He explained the influence of the spirit world in Africa and the role of demons and witches that impact their daily lives. The positive side of this is that when people become Christians, they are more dependent on the Holy Spirit than we often are. Adams plans to bring his education home, where he can then try to fight the corruption that is the causing Zimbabwe to collapse. They too see Christ as the hope of their nation. So overall, it was a blessing from the Lord to learn so much about the culture I was walking into and to have a encouraging few words on the reason we are going to South Africa.

This last weekend we went on our first excursion to the Apartheid museum. At first, I think I left more confused than when I arrived, but after processing and talking to locals I've taken a lot away. The apartheid has left lasting impacts on the many cultures, but progress is continuing to be made despite past hatreds. Later, our team went to McDonald's for lunch, typical. Thankfully, we found it healthier than the ones in the States. That night we went to one of the staff houses (its huge!!) and had a Braai, which is their version of BBQ. So good! Saturday, we watched a soccer game (it was freezing!!) and then later that night our team played their own game of soccer. Hopefully we didn't embarrass ourselves too bad...it was great fun (team bonding) with a gorgeous view of J-burg behind us. Sunday we went to church and found their worship and teaching on Scripture to be true to the Gospel. I think we all left fairly encourage amongst the loving community we found there. Later that day, we experienced the local grocery store (pick 'n pay) and quickly felt like overwhelmed. We are now a "self-sufficient" CCP, meaning we are responsible for our own food and we are now driving ourselves everywhere. The rest of the day was spent resting and enjoying the Sabbath, which was very needed after running around constantly. The culture here isn't too different, other than driving on the other side of the road, which has helped with the transition. However, there are subtle differences. For example: There are 11 recognized languages here, each with their own culture; the time zone; the slang; and hard to pronounce names etc.

Monday-our first day on The University of Johannesburg Kingsway Campus. We spent the morning having close communion with the Lord, focusing on the reason we were here. And after a lunch break and prayer, we left for campus. I am in the res (dorm) called Benjimein (I forgot how to spell it! Ah!) with two other girls (Ashley DeForest and Danielle Devaney). KK, a second year in our res, has been introducing us to several first years. The staff wants us to reach out to as many of the first years as possible, getting to know them and bringing them to the weekly evangelistic meetings (3D). Our end goal is to bring these men and women to the Joint Winter Conference which is a weekend long retreat, very similar to our New Years Conference. At this point, they will meet several other varsity (college) students that are pursuing Christ, and then hopefully get plugged into a discipleship group. Our goal this week is to start big and then pray for the Lord to shut doors in the upcoming weeks. With yesterday being our first day, I've realized how exhausting this will be. However, I am excited to be here, proclaiming the one promise that will not fail us.

Please pray the following for me:

-That the team and myself would be clear communicators of the Gospel.

-The we would enjoy ministry and not see it as a 'job.'

-That I would have extrovert tendencies and not be completely exhausted by spending 8 hours a day on campus.

-That this campus and the lives that we come in contact with would be transformed. We want to see the Lord work in big ways this summer!

-Finally, that we wouldn't just pour out. We want to learn from those who have great faith here and be transformed by their lives. It has been so amazing to see how dependent the staff is on prayer and that they pray expectantly and watchfully.

Thank you all so much for your prayers! We need on them! I can't wait to update you in the next week regrading the ways the Lord has answered our may prayers. I hope all is well back home. Please feel free to email me back with updates of your own and of any encouragement.

Grace and Peace,

Karen

Our first few days in AFRICA!

Johannesburg, South Africa is amazing! The past couple of days we have been getting to spend time with our team and the leaders involved with campus outreach joburg. The first full day we were here went to the Apartheid museum to learn what that was like and how this country has been united together and gained freedom. We’ve also gotten to have some African food...which is delicious! The people here are beyond welcoming, it’s been such a blessing to be able to have this opportunity to come and see that the Lord has truly called our team here this summer and will use it for His glory.

On Sunday while we were at church I got a glimpse of how big our God is. As we worshipped our Lord I realized that they sang the same songs here as we do back home and that the pastor preached the same gospel. (I knew that that would be the case) but seeing it first hand opened my eyes more to see more of who our God is, the creator of the universe, of all nations. There was this reality that no matter the culture and how different we all are, the gospel remains constant, it’s never changing and unites all of God’s children together. Just thinking about that makes me say wow and puts me in a place to where I am in complete awe of God.

Monday was our first day in the dorms (they call them res’s) where we all got with our ministry partners and met the students of the university. Lauren Bice and I were switched to a res called Amperdaar. A few of the older girls, Tebogo, Ikho, and Pretty showed us around and introduced us to a few of the first year girls. It was so much fun to get to walk in their rooms and talk with them and just to get to know everyone. We are both so excited to continue to meet these girls and build relationships with them. We were reminded earlier that morning of the great commission, Matthew 28: 18-20 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age”. We have been entrusted with the good news of the gospel, that Jesus came, humbled Himself by death on a cross, died for our sins because He loved us and was raised, so that we can live in Him and be reconciled with our Father. By reading the great commission and hearing that command, how could we not go out and share this truth and what joy it brings. What a blessing we have been given.

Sunday night all the girls on the team got together and talked about things they wanted to be praying for this summer. One of the things I said was that I wanted to be interesting to the girls in res’s. And as we were in a dorm room meeting with a few students one of the girls needed to go study for a test but she said she didn’t want to leave because “we were so interesting’. That struck me. Seeing how God has answered prayers just in the first day and that He is with us continuously. What a sweet reminder to lean on Him.

Please pray that we would continue to go hard these next weeks, be bold in our conversations, remember that our identity is in Christ, that we would follow where the Lord would lead us., and for the hearts of the students here – that they would be softened by the gospel.

“All the nations You have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For You are great and do wondrous things; You alone are God” –Psalm 86:9-10

Thanks everyone! I hope y’all are not to hot in the states! I am excited to see what the Lord will do the next couple of weeks on the campus here, we’ll keep y’all posted!