Last Update in South Africa!

Hey friends!

Only ten more days here in Johannesburg! Time on campus has looked a little different the past couple weeks with final exam schedules accelerating. Final exam schedules here can last up to three weeks and are coming to a close on Friday. A lot of the girls in Amper Daar have already gone home. Lindsay and I had to say some hard final goodbyes to girls this week that we have been pouring a lot into. Even though it’s been a little over a month, we’ve really gotten attached to these girls. It’s been such a blessing to get to know them and to be able to share our lives with them (1 Thessalonians 2:8). Lindsay and I had some pretty difficult discussions this week with a few girls where we had to be really bold with them. Please be praying that they would see the true gospel and that the Lord would reveal to them where they stand with God.

Our last day on campus is Wednesday and our final event with the students is the Joint Winter Conference which is Friday the 24th through Sunday the 26th in Delmas (after that we will be doing mercy ministry type things for our last few days here). So far there are four girls in Amper Daar committed to come to the Joint Winter Conference and about six girls who are still deciding whether or not to come. The conference will be a great time for girls no matter where there are at spiritually- whether it is to grow in their relationship with Christ or to get their questions about Christianity answered. I can’t wait to see what the Lord is going to do through this conference!!

Sadly this will probably be my last update before the team returns home on July 1st because we won’t have internet access while we are at camp in Delmas. I will be sure to update you all when I return home. Thank you all for your prayers and support. Can’t wait to see you and share more about the trip!

A few of the things I love about South Africa:
-Seeing God as a God of the nations
-The people
-Learning the native languages (more specifically Zulu and Xhosa)
-The beautiful scenery
-Pick N Pay (the grocery store where they have over ten flavors of marshmallows)

Prayer requests for this week:
-Prayer for the girls committed to come to JWC (Lebo, Gugu, Ikho and Pretty)-that the Lord would prepare their hearts to hear His word and be working in them
-Prayer for the girls still deciding whether or not to come to camp (Katlego, Jamee, Adri, Lerato, Slee, Lethabo)-praying that the Lord would break down any barriers that they have to come and fan into flame the desire to know more about Him
-That the Lord’s hands would be on the conference and that the Lord would use the speakers to glorify Himself and bring others to know Him
-Praying that five more students will come to know Christ before the team returns to America
-Energy and perseverance for the time remaining here (Hebrews 12:1-2)
-Unity in the team
-That we would be more captivated by Christ daily and that our eyes would be fixed on Him

With love,

Lauren

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
–Ephesians 2:1-10