So my Canadian friends tell me that their Thanksgiving was
last Monday on the American holiday of Columbus Day. Although we have yet to
taste of their yummy mash potatoes and turkey, I started thinking about giving
thanks.
Sunday, my team went to church at Itemba. We arrived in Jeffrey’s Bay late Saturday
night after a long day of traveling (about 14 hours). That ride was so
beautiful. I said the same about our drive to Swaziland, but I was truly awestruck
by the beauty of Africa. It was like a postcard and I thoroughly enjoyed those
moments. So Sunday morning as we were
attending this church service, the pastor spoke about being grateful. I sat
there and thought about this reoccurring thought of thankfulness.
Back in Mississippi I constantly drove down the Natchez
Trace from school to work. I loved that road and the scenery never bored
me. I began to pick out my favorite
parts of the road and make sure my radio was set to a good song when I passed those
certain places. There was this one tree that I claimed as my all time favorite.
There was not one other tree like it that I had seen of the thousands of trees
along the Trace. As crazy as this may sound, that tree gave me such joy on sad
days. It gave me hope on desperate days.
When I felt like the whole world was against me and that life was too
hard, that tree brought a smile to my face.
I decided that I was going to learn to be content and with that I had to
be grateful for something. So I was grateful for that tree. Hence I named that little tree the grateful
tree. And if you have ever ridden with me while passing that tree, you know
that it is a tradition to say one thing you are grateful for.
That tree is so far from me now, but I sat in that church
and felt overwhelmed with thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for, yet
I still seem to search and long for new and better things. It’s as if I tell
God that what he has given me is not enough. That his creation and his plans do
not satisfy me. How foolish of me! I desire to live a life of gratitude to the
Lord, to my family, to my friends, and to those all around me. I am thankful for Africa and for this
opportunity to be here. I am thankful for all of you who have given so that I
might be here. Please know that your sacrifices are a sweet aroma to the Lord
Most High and He is at work in Jbay and all around me and in me. Thank you for
your sacrifices.
Along with my gratitude for those who have supported me, I
am thankful for all of you who have not given up on me and believe that God is
going to take these ashes and breathe beauty into me. Thank you for your love
and encouragement.
God, I can only grasp a small amount of how incredible you
are to me. Thank you for being my Father and for loving me with your sweet
love. You do not fail. Give me a heart
of thankfulness. I praise you for taking my ashes and crowning me with your
compassion and love and calling out my ashes and claiming them as beauty! You
are my Strong Rock. Praise you!
Jeffrey’s Bay
I am living in
Paradise. I live with the most incredible leaders ever and the most wonderful
teammates. I am within walking distance of a beautiful beach and ocean. I am
living in the greatest surfing town in the world. And I am here with all these
incredible things to serve the Lord in utter, reckless abandon. I am blessed to be here and to be apart. I
love my life here and I’ve only been here for a few days! We are spending this week visiting all the
ministries in the area. It’s like a
taste test. We get to experience each
ministry and seek the Lord to see which place is where we will do our
internship. I am very excited to see the ministries and I’m ready to be settled
in one place.
I really believe that Jesus was a perfect model of what it
takes and means to build the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s all about the relationship.
Sharing Christ with others is not necessarily done in one afternoon
while knocking on doors and handing out pamphlets with diagrams and rhymes of
the “Sinner’s Prayer.” God can and does use that approach, but I feel that
Jesus set an example of taking the time. Taking the time to sit and listen to
the Gogo’s (the grandmothers) family and all of their names and ages and where
they live and what they do and all types of things. Taking the time to find the saddest child in the townships and
let them sit in your lap and run their fingers through your hair. Yes, I feel
that this is what Jesus intended when he was making disciples and proclaiming
that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. I long for those relationships and I
pray that God will use me to love these people as His Son modeled for me.
Prayer Needs:
Wisdom and
openness for my internship
God’s
anointing on my team and myself
Strength to
take up my cross each day
Love for
all my teammates and our little community
Divine
appointments given by God
Spiritual
Growth in my knowledge of all of Christ
My team as
we move ahead with one less member
HE Provides,
Amber
