The Girls and Faith

This is a post I know not where to begin. Things have been fairly slow lately…we had a week off from “studies” and just chilled around the house/town most of the time. It’s been a nice week of relaxing, but I am ready to get back on schedule. This coming week most of our scheduled time will be taken up with a conference of Sacred Romance. A local couple, who are very good friends of NieuCommunities, will be doing the conference. I am looking forward to it! I have never gotten to read the books by John Eldredge (besides Captivating which he co-authored with this wife), but I have heard good things about them and this conference! If you want to know more you can go to this link.

Last week, May 13^th-15^th, I had the opportunity to stay with the girls I will be working with throughout the rest of my time here. They live in a fairly nice home. It has 2 bigger bedrooms where the girls sleep (3 sets of bunk beds in each) and a smaller bedroom where the house mother sleeps (there are 3 moms that rotate throughout the weeks). They also have a homework room, a small living room, a kitchen, and one bathroom. Yes…one bathroom for 10 girls and a house mom! But, they seem to manage fine and that bathroom is probably a lot nicer than the ones they are accustomed to. All in all, a great place for the girls to live.

The time with the girls was great! We hung out with the staff during the day while they were at school (and even got to do one day of prison outreach). Then, we hung with the girls from about 3:00 on doing homework or just getting to know them more. We watched movies with them at night…which they really loved! I think it was a great treat for them. They cooked us dinner, which was so nice! Sometimes it’s hard to accept the great treatment we are given. They always want to give us the biggest portions, the best food, and the nicest things. One girl even gave up her bed for me! It makes me wonder why they do it. Is it just because we are a guest? Is it just in their nature/culture to be so hospitable? I am not totally sure the reasons, but it’s always really sweet to see…and makes me think of how I treat my guests!

As I stayed there with the girls I felt such joy! As we sat around watching movies I could see the little girls inside of them…the little girls that have been stolen away by poverty, abuse, neglect. I could see how much they enjoyed just being girls, with no worries, no hurt, no pain…just girls. So many hard times and struggles have already come their way, yet, I could see the light in them that Jesus sees. I could feel the joy in knowing that they are His. They are precious in His sight. I pray that they are or become precious in the sight of those around them…including themselves. Please pray for the 10 girls at the Lerato House…as well as the house moms. They are all in need…in one way or another! Thank you so much!

I did not get to meet with Wilna last Tuesday from the Tshwane Leadership Foundation…who works on trafficking. She got tied up with something else and had to cancel our meeting. I will admit that I was super frustrated by her cancellation. She is an extremely busy woman, but there are times here when people just cancel things and think nothing of it…or are really late to meetings. Everyone jokes about things being on Africa time, but it’s true! As a Westerner it can be one of the hardest things to get used to! It’s hard not to take things personally and to not feel unappreciated. But, I am still praying that the meeting comes about in the very near future. When I spoke with her on the phone she seemed excited to meet and get things going further with trafficking in South Africa…she didn’t seem to think there was near enough being done. So, please pray that the meeting would take place soon and that I would be patient in the mean time! God’s timing…right? :)

Personally, I have been in a rote place spiritually. I think in part it has been the week off. I tend to get in a bit of slump when I don’t have a steady schedule of sorts. I can get extremely unmotivated. But, lately, I seem to have been questioning the nearness of God. I don’t always know what to make of that. Sometimes I just wonder how He can know me…how He can care about me…how He can know what’s going on in my life…how He can be close to me while He feels so far. I know it’s not always about Him feeling close…about me hearing from Him…about always being on a spiritual high. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” I love that verse but had a hard time grasping it for the longest time. I actually read a sermon by John Piper once which helped clarify things for me…click here to read it. I just reread it myself and this in particular stood out this time… “In other words, faith grasps - lays hold of - God's preciousness so firmly that in the faith itself there is the substance of the goodness and the sweetness promised. Faith doesn't create what we hope for - that would be a mere mind game. Faith is a spiritual apprehending or perceiving or tasting or sensing of the beauty and sweetness and preciousness and goodness of what God promises - especially his own fellowship, and the enjoyment of his own presence.” I know that God is with me…ALWAYS! I trust in that and take hold of it. Sometimes it’s just difficult when I don’t feel him close and have to rely purely on Faith. I choose to Believe.

Thank you to all for your continued prayers! I think about my family and friends often and continue to feel the blessing of having you journey with me.

Much Love,

manda

God's Timing

Waiting on God…Trusting He has a plan…believing that His timing is best. These are all things that I have been thinking about a lot lately….sometimes in frustration and sometimes in praise of God. Recently, I have been reflecting quite a bit on God’s timing throughout this past year of my life, especially with things since I have been in South Africa.

A year ago, I never thought I would quit teaching and move to South Africa. But, God placed on my heart the desire to pursue missions and to seek out what it means to live that life. So, I quit my job with nothing in the works and with enough money to live for a couple of months. God continued to provide for me with subbing jobs and the money kept stretching just long enough. I never would have heard about NieuCommunities/CRM had I not been invited to go on a missions retreat by friends. The amazing part is that I had previously prayed that God would bring me a job or at least a firm direction by the end of October…the retreat was the end of October! By that time I was finally ready to put my own agenda aside to fully pursue missions and do whatever God wanted. Little did I know at the time that I would be going to South Africa for a year! But, God made it clear to me that this was where I needed to be, and He made it all possible for me to make it here within 2 months of hearing about the trip. God’s timing…amazing!

Shortly after arriving in South Africa we started the listening posture. I started to become frustrated with the idea of finding where I wanted to serve. I didn’t know where to begin and I really wanted to hear from God. I so badly wanted to feel needed here, and I wanted to feel like I was being used by God to further His Kingdom. We spent a long time visiting ministries and waiting to hear from God. As soon as I walked into the Lerato House I knew it was where God wanted me. Instantly all my anxieties about finding the right ministry vanished. I felt so much peace and it was awesome to know that I had waited to hear from God and not just picked a ministry that seemed ok. By finding the Lerato House, I was also reminded of my passion to see the end of Human Trafficking. I had heard about it in the Fall of 2006 at my church and knew I wanted to be apart of the movement. But, I didn’t know how that would ever come about. Since being here though, it is all starting to come together! Working at the Lerato House gives me a chance to walk through life with girls who are affected by trafficking, prostitution, drugs, or other abusive situations. I am also (hopefully!!!) going to talk with and learn from a woman here who is involved with the trafficking movement full time. (She works for the ministry that the Lerato House is based out of). This will give me the chance to learn more about the advocacy side of trafficking as well! Our Lord is an amazing weaver of lives!!! God’s timing…amazing!!

We are about to be in our last week of the submerging posture…I can’t believe it! Time is really flying by. You may remember that I spent a few days out in the township living with a family there and submerging into the culture. Well, for this next week, we had the assignment of finding our own place to submerge and making the connections ourselves. At first, I was very frustrated because, at the time, I hadn’t been able to get started at the Lerato House, and thought my submerging experience would be pointless. But, yesterday, Laura (another apprentice who will be working at the Lerato House) and I had a meeting with the social worker and outreach coordinator at the Lerato House. We FINALLY set a schedule with them and will even get to stay with them next week from Tuesday-Thursday! So, we will get to see the daily lives of the girls and get to spend concentrated time with them. I think it will be a great time of building the foundations of our relationships with them. I am very excited for it! God’s timing…amazing!!!

Laura and I will be leading devotions on Monday evenings…doing homework and hanging on Tuesday evenings…doing outreach on Wednesday morning/afternoons…and street outreach on Wednesday nights. We went on the first outreach with them last night. There is a group of about 3-4 women (and one guy who drives them…for the past 7 years!!!) who go out and meet with women who are caught up in the vicious cycle of prostitution. They bring them coffee/tea/cold drinks and just talk with them for a bit. They tell them about the Lerato House at some point, but they don’t press the matter. They just go out and build relationships with them, don’t judge them, and trust that God will move in His amazing way. It takes a long time to build up the relationships enough for the girls to open up to them, but they go out every Wednesday and consistently meet with the women. It is an amazing ministry and I feel so blessed to be apart of it and to have the chance to minister to these women. It’s also really cool to know that the young women/girls we will be working with at the Lerato house have been saved from that lifestyle (most of them anyway…not all) and that the street outreach really works…even if I don’t see the fruits of it in all the times I go. God’s timing…amazing!!!!

So, in all these examples of God’s amazing timing, how can I still doubt? How can I still wonder if things will work out? How can I still worry about “tomorrow”? How come I can’t just trust that God will make all things workout in His perfect timing, in His perfect way, and in the way that will be best for me? I don’t know! But what I do know is that God never leaves me throughout my times of doubt, frustration, and worry. He is still right here working things out and moving in my life. He is still guiding me and loving me and watching over me. I am thankful for a faithful Father, a perfect Planner, and merciful, gracious God. I challenge you to look back on a certain amount of time in your life. Do you see times in which God has moved or worked things out in His perfect timing? You might be surprised to find all the areas in which He has moved…even in times when you were frustrated, anxious, or even angry. Look for Him. Trust Him.

Prayer requests:

--that I would trust God’s timing

--that I would be able to truly connect with the girls at the Lerato House and any women I meet during the outreach times

--that my agenda would be put aside and I would allow God to direct my steps

--that we would have a cover of safety during our outreach times

Thanks in advance for the prayers! As always…pass any requests along to me as well!!

Much love,

manda :)