Another Step of Faith!

Isn’t amazing how fast time flies? When I ventured over to Africa this past June, I had no idea how fast 6 months would quickly go by. It was my father’s advice, nearly 10 months ago to pray about “going for six months and then re-evaluating”…and now I have been seeking the Lord as I’ve been at the re-evaluating stage. It was always my sense before coming that Jesus would either teach me something in the few months I was here (which he has most certainly done!)…or that a door would open, allowing me to return in the new year for another strategic season. To be honest, I have known for quite awhile in my spirit that the later would be the case…partly because giving up a job, house, ministry, and packing up my life, while leaving friends and family…was such a big step…and now the idea of trying to re-establish my former life, does not seem what Jesus has for me quite yet.

The ‘open door’ from the Lord has looked different than I expected. I think I kept hoping a job, ministry or role would pop up…and that my spirit would respond, “oh this is why I am here”…but the Lord hasn’t done it that way. I have in no way been able to define my significance by what I do…for my days are spontaneous, the things I do differ…and so do the people I interact with. What he has done is establish around me an amazing community (!)...a church community, a friendship community…and a community where I constantly feel I am ministering to others just by being myself. This has been a foundational purpose of this trip and one of the reasons why I feel Jesus is asking me to come back. I know I still have a full month ahead of me…and to be honest who knows what that will hold…but if its anything like the past four months I have a lot to look forward to.

Any big decision comes with doubts…how will I pay for a ticket, how will I raise funds, how will I define what I’m ‘doing’, how will I get a car, how will my family and friends respond, etc. After a few calls to my parents and sisters and a friend who knows me well, I couldn’t deny the truth that Jesus was asking me to return…despite the many unknowns! (Hey, faith steps are my life…my past…and most likely my future…better start getting used to them!)

Well, miracle one happened just under a week ago, I was given enough air miles by someone to cover my return flight to Cape Town next year! It happened so fast and so unexpectantly! It was an instant reminder from the Lord that He will continue to provide all I need in his timing.

So the details are as follows:
- Leave Cape Town on November 30th…then stop in Dubai to be with friends for a few days, then have a week in London more friends…returning to Tacoma, December 16th.
- Then home for 6 weeks!!!…enjoying Christmas, spending everyday possible with my nephew and nieces, catching up with dear friends, hanging out with family, church friends, my students at New Song School, my former neighborhood kids, maybe organizing some of your homes, and driving my automatic car!
-Then I’ll leave January 26th to return to Cape Town…Coming back to Tacoma June 8th …just in time for a family vacation and my 30th birthday!!!!

Thank you for being a part of this journey!

A Vision of Worship

This morning during worship at church the Lord showed me an incredible vision…it was an aerial view looking down upon the throne of Christ. Coming from every direction, north, south, east and west…were different groups of people, different nationalities marching forward in worship towards the throne of God.

The first group I saw was from Africa, the music was deep and soulful…carrying with it the rhythms of life, the people were dancing as they moved forward like a pulse, proclaiming the name of Jesus…despite personal hardships. The second group marched forward, like an army…upright and strong…they sang the hymns of old…proclaiming the truths of their forefathers. The next group came in running and jumping, they were young and full of life. They were called the “Next Generation”. Their music was loud and explosive. They ran, danced and jumped towards the throne in youthful adoration. The next group came forward on their knees, they were from a Middle Eastern descent. Similar to Muslim practice they were worshipping on their knees, and many prostrate on the ground…but their worship was towards the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

My sense was that there were many other groups marching, dancing and making their way forward towards the throne in their own styles and expressions of worship. Even in the four groups that Jesus showed me this morning…I was struck by how worship around the world can look so different. There are many who criticize the groups around them…saying others worship is too loud, too boring or too cultural. But in my vision…every group was marching forward to the same destination…they were marching towards Jesus, towards the throne of God…even though they were coming from different locations as they marched forward they would eventually meet in the middle with their King!

What an awesome reminder!

Beauty of Betty's Bay

This past weekend I had the privilege to go Betty's Bay, an hour outside of Cape Town with my housemates, Rene and Caroline and also friends, Richard & Heather and their darling son Timothy. We enjoyed the beach, whale watching, visiting the penguins, sunsets, wine, good food and even watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy in the evenings. Here are a few photos to show off the incredible beauty of South Africa once again!

"Wish you were here!"

View from our balcony

Typical 'sundowner'

Reading with my new friend

Betty's Bay Beach

Penguin Colony!

Cute Pair!

Mama and fluffy babies

The Privilege to Vote

This last Thursday, I took a trip to the American Consulate with my friend Liesl Stewart (who is married to a South African and has resided here in Cape Town the last 14 years) we were on one mission…to vote for the upcoming presidential election!

I must admit that this past month, finding a way to vote in this foreign country did not cross my mind…not only with limited transport, but also not fully aware of how to pursue it. Well Liesl rang a few days ago, and when she asked if I was going to go to the Consulate to vote I honestly hesitated. Would it really matter?...a voice trailed in my head. That exact evening I finally finished Nelson Mandela’s A Long Walk to Freedom…an incredible book…in the last chapter, he talks about the privilege of voting for the first time in 71 years…after spending over 30 years in prison, fighting for freedom. I was inspired, touched and aware at that moment…the incredible privilege that voting brings! Yes I would vote in this foreign country and yes I would proudly join Liesl to do my duty as an American citizen.

When we arrived at the Consulate, with passports in hand, we drove up to the entrance…and being American citizens we were able to flash our blue passports and have VIP parking (all the other nationalities had to park at a near by shopping center at the bottom of the hill, and then walk up by foot up to the building). Then at the entrance, a queue of people wrapped around the building…I assume the majority of them were South Africans coming to apply for US travel visas…but, yet again, being American citizens we were able to jump the queue, flash our passports and head right in…I’m sure to the frustration of everyone waiting in the hot sun behind us. Once in and through security we were led to a waiting room...and as citizens we got to sit in a private seating area, jumping the queue once again. Did I feel bad that I was receiving this special treatment while others had to wait? Well, to be honest it was actually rather refreshing…for the past few months I have been on the other end of massive queues, visa fines and a lack in customer service!

After filing out lots of paper work and re-registering for our absentee ballots, Liesl and I were finally able to do our part and vote for the future President of the United States. We left with a smile, and a sense of completion…knowing we had done our part…even so many miles away from ‘home’.

“Legally Blonde in Africa”

The title for this entry comes from an email that I received the day I left for my canoeing adventure. A friend of mine shared my previous blog update with her friend…and her friend replied, “That sounds like it could be a movie…Legally Blonde in Africa.”

The trip on the whole was far better than I ever imagined. I kept looking for funny stories that I could write about, or adventure mishaps of a city girl in the outdoors…but to be honest I realized that I am much more cut out for this than I thought!

We left early Sunday morning, September 28th for our nine hour drive to our base camp, just over the Namibian boarder. Our 60 seater bus soon filled up with 6 leaders and 28 teenagers. I was surrounded by new faces that were soon to become friends. Out of all those young people only one guy had thought to bring CDs along so our music selection became VERY limited as we rocked out to Linkin Park! Caroline and I nicknamed this guy the “Music Nazi” (we had many names for kids) as he controlled the music, and unfortunately I was sitting directing under a speaker so after our long journey I was convinced I had become deaf. It really was a great group of teenagers that ranged between 8th- 11th grade, and from a variety of high schools in Cape Town.

On arrival we had to set up our sleeping areas, there were a handful of kids that brought tents, but you would be proud to know that I slept in the open with a shared ground sheet (tarp), my camping mat and a sleeping bag! (Overall I slept great except for the few occasions I woke up to find I had slid right off my mat and tarp…its amazing how you slide around in sleeping bags…especially on ground that slightly declines!) Bright and early in the morning we had to begin packing for our canoe departure. Each individual was given one bucket for their personal belongings, a shared bucket with your ‘paddling buddy’ for your sleeping bags, and also a shared cooler for drinks. A friend of mine who had been before also advised me to bring a smaller bucket to keep at my feet for snacks, camera and sunscreen…this became my “handbag”. Its always amazing in the end at how little we need, I wore my swimsuit and a sarong during the day and long bottoms and a fleece at night.

Caroline and I decided that we were going to be canoe partners…many of the teenagers paired up with friends, so we thought why not brave it together. The four days that followed on the river pretty much took the same form: Up early with the sun, breakfast by the fire, pack up camp and onto the river…canoe for 3 to 4 hours, which often included some rapids, then stopped for a lunch break later in the afternoon, and after a rest we would get on the river for a few more hours before our evening stop…then we would unpack and try to get organized before the sun went down and everything went pitch black (we had no moon!). In the evenings I often wore a head lamp (yes me!) to get ready for bed. The stars were AMAZING! What a gift it was to be in a beautiful location, with a clear sky, no moon, just FULL of stars. Gods Glory was so evident.

After our first day of paddling I was extremely sore, especially my fingers and arms! The weather overall was fantastic but that first day, after lunch, we hit lots of wind that blew towards us with great force…thus we had to paddle twice as hard to get anywhere! Well my fabulous canoe buddy and I made it! We definitely were a great pair and even got down the largest rapid Sjambock on the second day without capsizing…and are proud to say we never capsized the whole time! Ok…to be honest there was more than one occasion where we almost capsized…and the time we accidentally went down backwards…but I’ll leave that to your imagination!

Overall the trip was marked with great laughter! I probably laughed more on this one week trip than my whole time in South Africa combined. Laughing is truly medicine to the soul! One of the other leaders was a guy named Brett Anderson. He is a youth pastor at another church in Cape Town, and came to be the speaker….but he is also a stand up comedian and does ‘theater sports’ on the side. He had such a dry sense of humor that EVERY thing that came out of his mouth made Caroline and I giggle. One afternoon we were waiting to go down a set of rapids one canoe at a time…and one of the canoes ahead of us had capsized and had hit another canoe in the process. So there was a big back up and about ten of us ended up waiting at the top for nearly a half hour until the muddle below was cleared. Brett in his no stop humor kept making jokes and creating songs having to do with the situation…and Caroline and I were laughing so hard that we couldn’t keep it in. In front of everyone we jump out of our boat into the water to quickly relieve ourselves…yes in front of the group! Over the week the teenagers also made us laugh…I realized that when they are trying to be funny they are rather annoying, but when they are just being themselves, they are hilarious! There are surprisingly many similarities from working with Preschoolers and High Schoolers!

On the third night I was asked to share something from my ‘faith journey’ at our evening session around the campfire. As I thought and prayed about it that morning it became evident that I was meant to teach on the things Jesus is teaching me right now…not something I necessarily learned in the past. I ended up talking to the kids about identity and what we find our significance in. I challenge them not to find their worth in what they do or what they are involved in…but in who they are in Christ, keeping Jesus the foundation of their lives…for his love is never ending or conditional. I told them that if they could learn the truth of this at a young age it would save them years of pain. How often do we look to relationships, friendships, grades, jobs, and material objects to define our worth…especially in high school!

Well, now I’m back in civilization and I get asked the question…Would I do it again?…and the answer is a big YES!...However, at the moment I’m enjoying my cozy bed, warm shower, real coffee and a glass of wine in the evenings (no sundowners on the river with a bunch of teenagers!) I wonder what’s next? I’ll keep you posted….

On the ride home one of the girls said to me, “I don’t think I have worked my upper body muscles like this in months,” I smiled and said, “I haven’t worked my upper body muscles like this in my ENTIRE LIFE!”


Oh by the way...we paddled 75k in 4 days...pretty good for this city girl!


A few pictures:












Enjoying the view after a hike with friend Sam














I figured out how to close my bucket












Early morning with new friends











Day 3 I canoed with Sam











One of the many beautiful evenings on the river














A pathway from our camp to canoes












Waiting by the campfire for breakfast











Sam and Andrew coming down one of the rapids












The River Divas!