Here are some of my recent thoughts:
Living here in South Africa is absolutely challenging. But as I have said so many times before, I am thrilled to be here. No matter how much I love being here, I long for home. My thoughts run to home often and I find myself missing the community I have had at home. Of course I have community here, but I think of many people from home and my heart wants to be there with them. I think about life after Jbay and I dream of being home with friends and family. I believe a lot of this started over Christmas break. Even at home I miss home of long ago. I think back to high school days when I had a home church, friends, and this community that I miss so much. My community at home has taken quite a hit through my college years. I feel lost at home. I feel like I simply exist. So life after Jbay, the need for community, and the loss of community at home makes me anxious about the future. I need home to be become home again. I need my community to be revived because I really do want to come home again one day. If I continue on the mission field, home must be a place where I can refuel, rest, and exist within a vibrant community.
Tavern Update!
Thanks so much to all of you who fasted and prayed last week for the tavern! I hope that you sensed God moving deeply as you prayed for us. I am so grateful! Over the last week, we have continuously met together ro pray and fast for the tavern. My team and I have heard His voice and felt the heart of GOd regarding the tavern. God has spoken how pleased He is to have His children petitioning Him. The tavern as a building is important to God but not as important as the hearts of the men who frequent the tavern. His will is for them to know Him. SO that has become our heart. We have already started some sweet friendships with the owners and pray that they will step from darkness to light through this whole process. Please continue to pray creativity over my team as we attempt to reach these men. I desire to use my life to proclaim His message of reconciliation and this applies right now with the tavern. Pray for us to open our mouths to speak His truth to the lost people in the tavern. Pray for God to do mighty, unexplainable things. Pray also for me. My Spirit has been very heavy this week, and as I write this, my body cannot keep up. I am so tired each day that it’s a struggle to keep moving. I feel like I am a target of many attacks. So please pray for strength, energy, and an overwhelming sense of rest for me.
His Message of Reconciliation:
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them, And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ” 2 Cor. 5:18-19
