Finding my way...

[Written August 15th]

Well I'm back in Cape Town, still transitioning (in a good way)...and truly just taking each day at a time. Different fears keep popping up and I really just have to go to the Lord and ask..."What must I do today?"...and then try my best to do that. I still have moments when I want to accomplish something that I think is worthwhile and purposeful...but mostly Jesus is just asking me to be with him! If I sit for a few hours reading or writing...it’s a GIFT and not a waste of time!

This last week I have been praying for a car to get around...and the blessing is that one has been lent to me for 2 weeks! Its funny how the Lord works because just yesterday morning I had surrendered the idea of having a car and was coming to terms with the fact that I may have to learn how to get around by bus (which I will admit still doesn’t sound too fun...but hey Jesus is asking me to trust him as he leads) and then that afternoon an email came about a car. So, last night I went to pick up this car, thankfully with Rene and had a HARD drive home...its an older car...manual...I stalled more than once...it was dark....couldn't work out the mirrors, lights and wipers in the dark. Got home and was totally filled with fear and did NOT want to drive again....it was not fun and I didn't feel safe. As soon as I fell into bed and journaled I realized the lifelong truth that often times we pray for something that we really want….and then when it comes we can too quickly respond in fear rather than thanksgiving (this realization also reminded me about relationships too…especially with the opposite sex!). So, this morning when I woke up I was determined to push through some of this fear so I went on some errands that were near by and got used to the car…in the daylight!

METRO MINISTRIES: Remember how last year I spent a week in New York City at a boot camp for the largest sunday school in the nation…learning how to do Sidewalk Sunday Schools? It was a very strategic ministry trip in my life and was the determining factor for my move to the Hilltop neighborhood in Tacoma right after I got back. Well…my new church here in Cape Town, Khanysia also does sidewalk sunday schools but I never thought that there would be a connection with Metro Ministries in NY…until I was in Uganda with Hen & Harry and they reminded me that we had met some South Africans who were interning there while we were on our boot camp. Sure enough…I did some research and it is the same! An amazing couple James and Janet, I don’t know their last name yet…came from the UK to Cape Town, 4 years ago to get it started (James is a good friend of Bill Wilsons’). They have about a dozen sites where they put on open-air ‘sidewalk-sunday schools’ for local kids in the townships, and partner with several other churches within the city. My church Khanysia has 3 sites and ministers to over 1,000 kids a week! As you can imagine my heart is excited to jump in and get involved…it felt like such a God connection. I met James & Janet this past Sunday and hope to meet up with them again this next week. Their sites do not start until mid-September (it’s the same as NY and runs mainly in the Spring to early Fall…as its winter here and too cold for kids to sit outside that’s why they wait til Sept)…so I hope to jump into that!

WAREHOUSE: As most of you know, Jesus created me with a unique gifting of LOVING to pack, move, organize & clean! Perfect timing because in a few weeks the Warehouse (an incredible ministry here in CT…that does orphan care, youth work, job training, gleaning, teaching & promoting social justice!)…is expanding and moving!!! This is a huge answer to prayer. They have been able to attain the adjacent warehouse next to them…so a passage will be created through the two warehouses and this full of life ministry can properly expand. And…guess who gets to help with the move…yep, me! Caroline, my housemate is in charge of the move and also oversees the many donations of clothes, household items and food…I will be helping her in the weeks/months ahead!

PASSION: This past Wednesday evening I was invited to go to the Passion Cape Town concert. It was a large event with 6,000 people…mainly geared towards college age and youth. I went with a friend here who is a very big Chris Tomlin fan…so she was very excited to get there early and find a good seat. Well, with traffic and the huge amount of people attending it was already quite full once we got there…and the front seating area was full…she continued to go up towards the stage and I just followed. Before I knew it we were in the standing area…front row, about one foot from the stage…and that’s where we stayed for the whole night…I was in between dozens of screaming teenagers and speakers that literally made my entire body vibrate! Was it worth it? Yes, Jesus was glorified in Cape Town…and Christy and I soon had fun jumping up and down to “Let God Arise”!

Tomorrow I am going to the Home Office to try and extend my visa…when I entered in June I was only given 3 months so now I need to apply for an extension as my departure date is November 30th. Please keep that in your prayers…also the driving too…that I would continue to learn my way around this city and feel safe and confident on the roads. Thankfully I have not been fazed by the fact that I am driving on the opposite side…probably due to my many years in the UK?

Love you all!
Bryna