This is Africa | Womens Conference, Kids Camp & last day.

Sorry this took so long!


Friday & Saturday: 10 -11 August 2012

Womens Conference & Kids Camp

Friday morning we were able to sleep in a bit and have a slower start, which was so nice because Saturday will start early and end late.

After I showered I found a weird bit on my leg that had rather big blisters. :(

It's so grody. I have no idea what it was or how I got it.

Thankfully on our team we had a nurse and pharmacist, 

I asked both of them to look at it and was able to get some cream to put on it.

I wasn't the only one that woke up with a health issue.

Whitney woke up very ill as well, she was scheduled to speak at the conference on Saturday.

Judah Africa

After getting to the school we got things set up ready for the conference.

The women of Judah Africa worked so hard and the church looked so beautiful! 

Those women know how to decorate a church!

Getting the church ready.

Women lining up for the conference

Getting manicures!

So many volunteers to come and help!

LaNell speaking on the power of the Holy Spirit

Time of worship through song

 

Michelle Franzen talking about the "Prodigal Daughter"

Thato and ..... (translators) helping k

recognize yall

                                 

I've been thinking about a lot lately, probably too much.

My mind runs wild with all the possibilities,

& the unknowns that come with them.

After returning from Africa, 

 adventure & travel was on my mind. 

All I wanted (want) to do is travel, 

focus on photography, art, media & ministry.

I looked into YWAM DTS programs 

(Youth With A Mission; discipleship training school)

that were centered on creative arts,

I found one in Australia that I was very

interested in & was just about to apply for,

then I found out the cost i had been told was only for the first segment.

The 2nd segment would cost another possible $5,000.

(which meant I'd have to raise about $12,000)

Fundraising for ministry is tough, it's how I've grown up.

I know that God is good & if it was His will He would provide.

I feel like something in me changed after I found out that information.

I kept trying to remember Proverbs 3:5-6, 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

 and lean not on your own understanding, 

in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."

{trust in the Lord with all your heart.....} - I have such a hard time with trusting the Lord; 

I have the head knowledge but my heart/feelings/emotions don't seem to catch on.

I know the Word of the Lord is true, all the time.

Even when I say my thoughts out loud &

compared to the Bible, what I think or say is false.

I continue to move forward & think that way.

Do feelings really have any place in being a follower of Christ?

Sometimes I have a really hard time knowing what "trusting with all your heart" is or what it looks like.

I want to trust God with everything.

I want to do what God wants me to do.

I want to follow His purpose for me.

I want to walk in His ways.

I want to live a life that pleases Him.

I want my life to be an example.

I want others to see Jesus in me.

I want to have a humble & contrite heart.

I want to be filled with peace & joy.

I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

I want to walk with Jesus.

I want to have a personal, intimate relationship with Him.

I want to have a heart of son (daughter) ship, not an orphans heart.

....yet it seems the more I cry out,

 the more lost & stuck I feel.

The more I ask for wisdom & guidance, 

the less wise & guided I fee.

I am completely lost & stuck,

 I thought I had no idea what I was doing before...

it's more so now. 

I have no clue, none whatsoever, what God wants me to do, 

where He wants me to go. If He wants me to stay. I am not at peace,

yet crying out is doing nothing but make me more unsure &i miserable.

{...lean not on your own understanding....}

 I am so incredibly imperfect & flawed,

yet I can't let go of what I know & see.

The finite view I am privy to,

that only stretches so far.

 

...and every time it stops.

can't go any further.

how do I let go of dwelling on my own understanding?

because I want to so badly!

{...in all your ways acknowledge Him...}

ac·knowl·edge

   [ak-nol-ij]  means.....

verb (used with object), ac·knowl·edged, ac·knowl·edg·ing.

1.

to admit to be real or true; recognize the existence, truth,or fact of: to acknowledge one's mistakes.

2.

to show or express recognition or realization of: to acknowledge an acquaintance by nodding.

3.

to recognize the authority, validity, or claims of: The students acknowledged the authority of the student council.

4.

to show or express appreciation or gratitude for: to acknowledge a favor.

5.

to indicate or make known the receipt of: to acknowledge a letter.

So basically in everything admit the existence of God

& His presence.

Show gratitude & appreciation 

& make known...

{Recognize yall}

By faith. We must repose an entire confidence in the wisdom, power, and goodness of God, assuring ourselves of the extent of his providence to all the creatures and all their actions. 

Those that put themselves under a divine guidance shall always have the benefit of it. God will give them that wisdom which is profitable to direct, so that they shall not turn aside into the by-paths of sin, and then will himself so wisely order the event that it shall be to their mind, or (which is equivalent) for their good. Those that faithfully follow the pillar of cloud and fire shall find that though it may lead them about it leads them the right way and will bring them to Canaan at last

(commentary by Matthew Henry)

Psalm 99:5-

Exalt the Lord our God, 

and worship at his footstool; 

He is holy.

| This is Africa | on the way...

| Before |  

*a little something I wrote before leaving that was never posted* 

July 21, 2012

AFRICA! T-6 days until I am on my way to South Africa! I can't wait, as I prepare to go my mind is on many things. My only real worry is what will happen when I return, what I'll be feeling. I have a very diffilcult time adjusting back to the norm, two weeks isn't a lot but I love doing things and going places, coming home will be hard.

Before leaving for South Africa I had so much going on, so much I wanted to get done. I had a wedding to shoot the night before I left, there was editing to finish up, cleaning to do. I had even planned to make a skirt before I left. However much of that didn't get done, however most of the really important things did. We got to the airport, got our bags checked, went through security and found our gate. Finally! I was so excited. Throughout the whole process of planning and fundraising there wasn't one thing I was worried or scared about until about a couple weeks from our departure day. (Communication with my sister is sometimes really hard and I started to worry about that...)

As we were sitting waiting for our flight we met some really nice people. Two Christian couples who have experience with YWAM and a young man from Rwanda who is a Christian and a pastors kid. 

It was so awesome to talk with these people and the irony that was there. (In January my sister is going to Rwanda for 6 months for a DTS with YWAM) We had great conversations and were greatly encouraged by these people. 

My sister and I with our Rwandan friend.

After awhile we found out our flight had been delayed, and delayed so had to go and switch flights.

Our flight from Atlanta to Johanesburg was switched and we went back to our original flight to Chicago.

30 min late our Chicago flight was delayed again, which messed up the rest of our flights

sooooo...

Back to the help counter we go again,

there wasn't anything available for us to get out of Detroit until like Sunday afternoon.

UNTIL... the lady found us a flight out of Detroit at 9:50pm to

PARIS!!!!! with a 12 hr layover and get us to Johanesburg Monday around 11am.

So we took it.

*(Who is excited? THIS GIRL!)*

I was so so so excited to go to Paris. My sister and I decided we were so checking out the city!

This was so ironic because we had talked about doing this but then discovered the flights were really expensive.

At this point we knew the power of prayer, God had answered so many spoken prayers as well as unspoken.

He had opened doors for us to talk to His people.

Our trip started off rough but great!



On the plane headed to Paris

When we arrived in Paris we were so overwhelmed, the flight had been good for me but not my sister.
The Paris airport was so complicated and confusing. Eventually, after talking to several airport people we finally found someone who helped us with a map and a good suggestion of how to get to the Eiffel Tower.
We bought tickets and was on our way.
We took the train and subway to a stop near the Eiffel Tower.

Paris was pretty great! I was so glad I had my camera with me,
The entire time my sister and I kept saying
"OH MY GOODNESS I CAN'T BELIEVE WE ARE IN PARIS!"
It was so surreal.

We found this sweet old women on the way back from the Eiffel Tower, she was sitting there begging.
We gave her some euros, I wish we could have done more.

BTW: on our flight to Paris my sister and I were talking and she made a comment and said "I wonder if there is accordian music always playing in Paris?
On our train ride into Paris we hear this music playing, we turn around and there is a guy on the traing playing the accordian,
we see several more in the time we are there.
so there is your answer to that.

We made our way back to the airport and settled in for a few hours, and found food (expensive food)


Bought a sandwich and 2 glass bottles of sparkling juice for $20.00 (American currency)
A  little  lot ridiculous.



I typed a long FB message on that there keyboard, I made a lot of mistakes because the keyboard is so different then what I am use to.. it was an experience.





 Finally we boarded the plane,
and I got a stamp on my passport! Holla!
And off to Johanesburg we go....
(BTW I was asked if I was South African and if I had a South African passport a couple of times)







News!

 

For the last 10 or more summers I have been involved with a particular ministry, 

this summer that all changes.

This summer will be different then any other summer,

the schedule will be different.

My sister and I have felt led to go to South Africa for two weeks to work with Impact Africa.

My sister did a two month internship with this ministry last summer.

I would have loved to go for a longer time but due to scheduling we are only able to go for two weeks.

The last two summers my sister has come back from Africa changed. 

Telling many stories of what she had seen and what God had done in and through her.

I am so thrilled to be going to the same places where she has seen God work in mighty ways.

I am excited to be in a different ministry environment,

experience a different culture and be blown away for what God will do.

There is much to do before we head to South Africa,

thankfully I shouldn't have to get shots and I already have a passport!

Will you be willing to pray for my sister and I as we prepare for South Africa?

 

TO SOUTH AFRICA!

IMPACT AFRICA

JULY 28-AUGUST 12

-Shack to shack ministry

-Sharing the gospel in squatter camps

-Helping in a women's conference

PLEASE PRAY THAT:

-God would provide the financial needs in order to go to South Africa.

-Our hearts would be set on Jesus as we prepare to go. The point in going is to love on the people we meet, share who Jesus is with them and to show them the hope that Jesus brings. We desire to be prepared for what God has and not let our personal "ideas" or expectations get in the way of what God has planned.

-There might be others who would desire to go and serve as well.

-God would move in the hearts of the people we come in contact.

For more info about South Africa and what is going on within her heart, 

you can visit the blog of my sister here. 

On My Plate No. 007

Chicken Salad Wraps

Didn't stick much to the recipe,

used a lot of veggies,

whole wheat tortillas.

all the yummy veggies!

Tomato soup (from a can), pretty good!

Smoothies...banana, strawberry, milk, pineapple, yogurt.

My friend and I try to get together each week to cook/bake and chat.

Today we sat on the porch, so lovely sitting in the sun!

This fantastic creation is

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars,

Oh my lanta!!! so so so good!

The weather has been crazy beautiful for the last few days. 

today the temp came to 80!

Today was crazy, at work I was the night-shift manager, 

I am sort of in training even though I have been night-shift manager twice.

Today the phone would not stop ringing and it was so hot in the office.

Things went well regardless, glory!

God is good

& big

& He loves me!

That is all for now.