oh what a glorious journey...

back in south africa!

2012-02-02T04:33:00.000-08:00

i have been back in beautiful south africa for almost two weeks! it has been so surreal coming back and jumping back into life as i have known it for the past year...not having to come and start over in a new place...that is a new experience for me after years of change after change :)

recap of my first week and a half back:

--a WARM welcome by my friends here! i even had a christmas present waiting for me on my bed from my "parents" here
when i arrived!
--jet lag and several sleepless nights had me getting a slow start, but i am now recovered and feeling settled!
--i have been so encouraged by all my friends in Masi...so much breakthrough in their lives in the time i was away. so
thankful that God is the one changing lives and he moves even when i am gone!
--cars, cars, cars. oh my goodness. this is SO not my strong suit! i have had to sell my old car (because it kept breaking
down) and buy a car. although it has been miserable for me...God is my good Papa! He has been taking good care of me
and i have felt his provision through so many people in All Nations reaching out to help me! a car is so crucial for me
and my work in Masi (because i can not walk alone in the township for safety reasons.) it has been very difficult getting
to Masi to meet with people because of my lack of transportation...i am hoping for a car SOON!
--wonderful times connecting with friends here!
--WARM weather!!! after being in winter twice this year i am thankful for the SUN :)

its good to be back!

I will NOT be intimidated!

2012-01-12T13:38:00.000-08:00

ooooh my heart is sure.

as you may remember, nine months ago i spilled a cup of coffee on my newish computer beginning quite the epic journey. the morning of the fateful spill I had felt the Lord putting this declaration in my heart: "I will NOT be intimidated!" I felt him speaking the truth that i do not have to be intimidated by the hand of the evil one. that even in misfortune or tragedy i can be confident and stand in faith and joy! and that is what i chose that day. faith and joy. NOT sadness or pity. i felt so sure in my heart that God was going to come through!

even after my computer stopped working a few months ago i still felt sure it was going to be okay. upon arriving home i found out that i had bought accidental insurance (which i NEVER do). I sent it off to be fixed and just found out that they are replacing it with a brand NEW computer!

okay so maybe it seems silly to some...but this is a story of God's grace for me! He can choose anything he wants to speak to us and to display his goodness. and for me has chose my computer.

and it has been impressed upon my heart...
DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED. DO NOT FEAR. BE CONFIDENT IN GOD'S GOODNESS EVEN IN MISFORTUNE AND HARDSHIPS, RECEIVE HIS RIVERS OF PEACE AND JOY.

we can trust him because He cares. oh how He cares.

His grace overflows. and my heart is so sure.

the ticket is bought...

2012-01-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

its official...i am heading back to cape town january 19th!

i have loved so much being home for the holidays...soaking up time with my family and friends that i love so much. sitting on the couch with my mom and sister, doing a whole lot of nothing & laughing and laughing and laughing. holiday festivities with my nanny, grampy, aunts and uncles, cousins enjoying being with the people that have loved me so well my whole life. good, good times in norman. time with my friends and community who are truly my family; chats over coffee (and cafe plaid, of course!), deep heart connects, playing with the little ones that i love so much, walks on campus reminiscing about the old days. so glorious. realizing how richly God has blessed me...and that my life just keeps getting better. how blessed i am!

on a date with the hartsock kids! they are my joy! its so hard to say "see you later" to all the people i love so much in the states.

but what joy to know I am returning to these precious treasures! i am dreaming and receiving even more vision for these little ones and the people of Masi...

....2012 is going to be beautiful!

merry christmas!

2011-12-22T06:57:00.000-08:00

"Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!"
-Lyrics from Oh Holy Night

This is what i love about Christmas: Emmanuel ("God with us") coming to earth as a lowly babe so that the INCREASE of his peace and Kingdom would never cease! SO thankful for the simple message of JESUS...LOVE. lets turn our eyes to Jesus and learn to love each other well all throughout the year, giving our lives to seeing our brothers and sisters freed from chains of oppression!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! PEACE AND JOY TO YOU!

fun video!

2011-12-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

fun video about the VC camp from last july. just click the link below and enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/28927515

thankfulness and fullness of JOY.

2011-11-25T01:32:00.000-08:00

in this season the Lord is healing my blind eyes. i have been so blind to Him. to his glory. to his goodness in my life. i have missed it a hundred times a day. why? i have been so blind.

in Romans 8 it says the Father is "causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him."

everything is everything.

so why am i not seeing this?

if we open our eyes, not to the world, but to Jesus, looking for what HE is doing and saying. if we begin to call out and name these God-works, these moments that he is so fully using for our good, these simple, day to day happenings. and if we then begin to thank him and revel in who he is and the way he is so present in these moments, filling our lives with his goodness then...

our JOY begins to flow.

as we get totally wrapped up in God's absolute nearness to us, we can't help but be consumed with joy. a joy that runs so much deeper than the passing happiness of a nice moment. its a joy that beams even in the midst of painful circumstances. its a joy that actually carries us through.

if we will open our eyes to God... we will see that his goodness is actually spilling over in our lives...in everything. and by thanking him in these moments, we are filled with a deep joy that comes from acknowledging that our lives are in the hands of the most awesome and good God.

i have found this so wonderfully true in my life in this season. i have been so changed by a grateful heart and eyes FULLY opened to the One who loves me so deeply.

"why would the world need more anger, more outrage? how does it save the world to reject unabashed joy when it is joy that saves us? rejecting joy to stand in solidarity with suffering doesn't rescue the suffering, the converse does. the brave who focus on all things good and all things beautiful and all things true, even in small, who give thanks for it and discover joy even in the here and now, they are the change agents who bring fullest Light to all the world." ann voskamp from 1000 gifts.

happy thanksgiving and happy holidays!

may your lives OVERFLOW with the joy of the Lord!

(pic is my beautiful niece claire layla!)

its official: back to africa!

2011-11-13T10:18:00.000-08:00

i have been praying long and hard about the million dollar question...

what is next?!?!

and praise the Lord! He has spoken very clearly to me!

the Lord is leading me back to cape town to make a 3 year commitment with All Nations. in this past year, God has spoken very clearly to me time and time again. He has confirmed to me that he is calling me to seeing church planting movements among unreached people, and to live my life bringing the hope and healing of Jesus to broken and oppressed children and families. i have been asking the Lord, “what is the next step toward continuing these dreams and passions that have been placed in my heart?” The answer:

Plant yourself in a community that is pursuing these dreams and passions! So that is what I am doing!

All Nations is a vibrant family full of people pursuing the lost and the least, with a heart to bring the Kingdom of God in South Africa and beyond into Africa. i feel this is not only an equipping place for me, but also a potential sending place into an unreached nation in the future! i love so much the work I am doing in the Vulnerable Children program. we have been seeing good fruit in this past year and i am so excited to commit more long term and see that long term fruit! in these next years, i will also be pursuing training in counseling, to be better equipped for the work I am called to do.

i will be back in the states december 1st until the end of january. i am in the process of building my financial and prayer support teams. would LOVE to have you be apart of my journey here in south africa! if you would like to receive a letter with more info about my move back to africa contact me! also, if you would like to get together to hear more or if you have a house church, bible study or others who would like to know more contact me as well! my email is: whitneyelise211@gmail.com

Glory from a prison cell!

2011-11-07T02:29:00.000-08:00

a story of light breaking forth in the darkness...

rhoda and oliver are a part of the all nations family. they are from malawi, but have been living in masi for a few years. they are a beautiful couple whose hearts overflow with kindness and fierce faith.

a few weeks ago, oliver went into immigration to sort out his papers. the next thing he knows he is being detained because they were expired a week. OH MY. we are told that he will be moved to pollsmoor prison, then to jo'berg and then taken to malawi (who knows how many months this will take.) the story of how oliver was finally released and all that happened this side of the prison cell is SO filled with the Lord's hand. so many testimonies of His goodness and faithfulness. rhoda's response of clinging to Jesus with victorious faith was so beautiful. but the story i am going to tell is what happened inside that prison cell at pollsmoor...

oliver was placed in a cell with 70 or 80 other men...prisoners. not just men who had been detained due to paperwork...but prisoners who were there for murder, drugs, crime, etc. i have heard bits and pieces of the horrific conditions that prisoners have to live under in pollsmoor because of gangs within the prison. especially for foreigners like oliver. the first day, two men came up to oliver, grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him to let him know just where he had arrived...

but oliver did not chose despair or fear. he chose courage, faith and joy in the Holy Spirit. he told us that he just wanted to encourage and strengthen the other prisoners. he began sharing with them about the story in acts where paul and silas are flogged, put in prison and chose to worship the Lord, and how they Lord acted on their behalf. he loved these men, prayed for them, and showed them the loving kindness of God. and hard hearts began to melt. people were touched by the love of God that oliver was pouring into their weary hearts. on the last day, as oliver was being released many of the men came up and hugged oliver goodbye. the two men that shoved him the first day actually came to him and apologized saying, "we are sorry, we didn't know who you were."

"draw near to God and he will draw near to you..." James 4:8 the nearness, favor and protection of the Lord are so real. i will choose to turn my eyes to Jesus in the dark moments...for thats when light breaks forth and His Glory is revealed! amen.

the eyes of Love.

2011-10-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

after being prayed for the other day, i was so impacted by a word from the Lord that i was given. the word was: to break the mirrors i look at myself through and to let HIS eyes be my mirror. that i must stop checking to see if i measure up. i will not fail Him. wow. i need this so desperately in my life. i started journalling later and i asked myself the question: who is this that i am to fix my eyes on? this is what flowed from there...

"He is my Jesus. the Most Radiant of all. the best, most kind person to ever grace this earth. He is the One who captures hearts with one touch of His presence. He is Faithful and True. the Mighty Warrior. the Gentle Shepherd. the One who cares for the least and humbles the great. He is my Savior and the Savior of all. He is the Repairer of broken walls and shatterd hearts. He is the One who every heart longs to belong to and the One who has made a way for every heart to be fully satisfied...forever. He is Alpha and Omega. the One who was at the beginning and will be at the end. He is the Great King. the Lover of my soul. the Restorer of my broken heart and the Healer of my life. the One who calls me with a love sweeter than honey. who makes me more secure and safe than any fortress. who guards my life with His mighty arm. and daily invites me into more life, more fullness, more joy, more peace...into oneness."

how is it that he loves ME?

"...because i have been his hearts desire since the beginning. the one he has longed to see freed, consumed in his love and made whole. i am His beloved. my heart is radiant before his eyes. I am altogether lovely. with one glance of my eyes he is filled with love and his heart is consumed. with ONE glance. everytime i turn to him, looking to his face, heaven rejoices. because we are the desire of his heart. because our oneness with Him is the longing of his heart. my oneness is what drew the Radiant King to earth to live as a poor, ordinary carpenter. to give everything he could.

He came not to bring home a nothing ragamuffin, a broken mess, a weak sinful beggar to be His. he came to bring home his Bride. that is always how he has seen us.

in my eyes i am so many unfortunate, flawed things. BUT in the eyes of Love i am His lovely, breathtaking bride who he has moved heaven and earth to bring HOME.

i MUST turn my eyes from the mirrors that reflect the flawed beggar and look into His eyes and see who he has loved since before time."

everyday i am choosing to look into the eyes of Jesus.

spring.

2011-10-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

My Beloved spoke and said to me,

“Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me.

See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth;

the season of singing has come,

the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

The fig tree forms its early fruit;

the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.

Arise, come, my darling;

my beautiful one, come with me.”

Song of Songs 2:10-13

it is spring time in south africa. and i am thankful!

zimbabwe or bust!

2011-10-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

The big news for the month is that I will be returning to...

ZIMBABWE!

(for a week, Oct. 20-27th)

As you might know, I spent two months last year in Chinotimba, a vibrant community in Zim, during the outreach phase of the church planting school. Since the day I left I have been praying and hoping for an opportunity to go back and visit all the wonderful people I met, and to encourage the house churches that my team and I planted while we were there. The time has finally come! Mike and Kalyn are taking a small team to visit Munya, the leader of the All Nations church plant. He is an incredible church planter and has started a movement in Chinotimba that has caught like wildfire! They have dozens and dozens of house churches that have been planted in this past year alone! This means they have dozens and dozens of house church leaders who need to be encouraged and stengthened! That is where we come in. We are going for a five days to pour into these leaders! I will also get to connect and spent time with all my friends from last year. We will also spend two days in a nearby All Nations church plant in Zambia encouraging that team as well. We leave the 20th and return the 27th of October.

I feel so blessed that the Lord would open the door for me to go back to Zim! I am really believing that the Father will continue to provide all the funds I need for this trip. I have some money saved that will cover much of my $500 plane ticket, but visas are very expensive for Zambia and Zimbabwe (and I have to have one for each country!)

If you would like to give toward this trip, I would be beyond blessed!*

*You can make checks out to All Nations and attach a note that says "Preferred for Whitney Caldwell" and mail to:

All Nations Family, Inc

c/o Walsh Washburn

5360 College Boulevard Ste. 100

Overland Park, KS 64030

I am eagerly awaiting being reunited to baby Jeff and to the brothers and sisters/spiritual sons and daughters God has graciously given me in the beautiful nation of Zimabwe!

time to celebrate!

2011-09-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

extraordinary things become so normal around here...
 everyday i am seeing miracles and breakthroughs.  it becomes second nature...OF COURSE God would do that...He is just so good and He loves his people so much.  i started thinking about what amazing fruit i have seen in last week alone and it hit me how numb i have become to the mighty working of God’s hand.  And that is just not okay with me.so its time to celebrate! ::a well watered garden::
 many of you have been praying for mandla*, a 12 year old boy who ran away from home and has been living under a tree with some of his gangster friends. I mentor his sister and spend time with his family often. I have been praying and praying and PRAYING for Mandla and for his family. this family has faced the tragic and harsh reality of this world. the 4 children in this family are often split up and sent to live with various friends and neighbors in Masi when their mother leaves for months at a time. but, thank God, the reality of this world is NOT my reality. my reality is found in Christ, who defeated the evil one on the cross. I have had such faith to believe for the miraculous for mandla and his family. AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE SEEN WITH MY VERY EYES. as i was sitting with their mama one day, she told me, with joy in her eyes that i can not describe, that he has returned home. after months and months and month and months of not seeing her child (when she would see him he would run from her) she has been reunited with her son! he is staying only a few shacks down from her tiny shack.  it only gets better.  as i was sitting with mandla's sister the other day, she tells me that her mother is moving.  i immediately began thinking to myself, "oh no. here we go again.  she is leaving her kids once again."  but she continues explaining that she was just looking to move to a bigger shack so that all of 4 her kids could stay together with her.  "WHAT?!" this is a miracle, truly.  not only that, but i am seeing so much change in this mama, hope and life filling her once dejected and desperate heart.  she has even began selling chickens to support them.  out of the wildnerness, God is making this family into a well watered garden full of his peace and light.  i am in awe.    

::break every chain::
 Jesus, the Breaker of chains.  my dear friend, mandisa*, knows this to be true.  the back story is glorious and i will have to write a whole post about it soon.  mandisa has experienced a intense spiritual and emotional bondage.  she has lived under this oppression and often be consumed by this evil.  one afternoon, while spending some time with her little sister and her friends at her house, mandisa was once again consumed by this demonic oppression.  we got to sing and pray God's deliverance over her.  we all felt the same thing: "The Father wants you to be set COMPLETELY free!"   we prayed and prophesied into her life.  i began spending time with her weekly, talking and getting to know each other.  the other day she began telling me more about this oppression in her life.  i once again told her that God wants her to be set free!  She said, "Oh I know he does.  Before I felt like I was in a cage, but now I feel that I am getting set free."  WOW. just like that.  Jesus is the Breaker of chains and He is the one that comes to set us free from every thing of the evil one that would try to bind us up from receiving his abundant life and love!  praise Jesus!

::a breath of fresh air::
i met this woman through a friend of a friend.  little did i know when she joined us one day for a bible study, that we would form such a sweet friendship and that she would be such a woman of peace.  she has such an intense hunger for God and to know his truth.  she does not want religion, rules, empty ritual.  she wants Jesus.  she has opened up a group with her boyfriend and his household.  i can't even explain to you what a breath of fresh air these people are to my life.  in a culture so deep in empty religion, they are a rarity.  people who just want to seek God, to know his truth and to live out a life of following him.  we get together to discuss the bible and drink coke once a week.  i learn so much from this "church," as they call themselves.  it is so natural for them to take what we discuss and do it in their lives.  they are a house of peace and Papa has big things for them.  wow.  thank you God for these refreshing friendships. 

::GO, therefore..::
 oh i am missing my dear, dear, dear friend nosipo* who moved to capricorn.  i miss her friendship and i miss bringing the kingdom to children in masi with her.  but what a precious gem she is.  what joy to the small seeds i have invested in her life bearing such amazing fruit!  i got hang out with her the other day.  she told me about the kids she has been reaching out to near where she stays and about how she is starting a group for them to come and learn about Jesus!  Papa is bringing his glorious kingdom to capricorn through his sweet, faithful daughter!  God is so good!
 
 so that is what I am celebrating this week!  i know God is pouring out his kindness, goodness, and faithfulness in your life...so what are you celebrating this week?!

thank GOD he is GOD.

2011-09-10T06:28:00.000-07:00

i have been learning a few things afresh lately...

1. God is who he says He is

2. God can do what He says He can do

3. I am who God says I am

4. I can do all things through Jesus

5. the Word of God is alive and active in me

(from beth moore's study, Believing God.)

there have been many moments lately, where in past times, i would have panicked, freaked,and frantically found my own solution. but it has been a different story in these past weeks. i have been letting the truths above SOAK into my heart and my spirit.

i am a DAUGHTER, not an orphan.

i am not left alone to fend for myself.

Papa God has every resource in heaven made ready for me...if i will just ask...with a bit of faith.

here is one glimpse at a moment in my life that can be explained as nothing but a sweet kiss from the Father...

its time for kids club. the prayer shack is packed (and i mean PACKED) with excited, energetic, crazy kids. i haven't seen so many at kids club in a long time, nor have i ever seen them so bursting with energy. the person coming to translate for me has bailed. the backup can't come. this is not the first time this has happened in the past two months since my unbelievably amazing friend, Nosipo*, who was helping me with kids club, moved to a nearby township. i step outside the prayer shack to lift my hands to the heavens and cry out for a miraculous provision of a translator, hoping someone will just materialize. nothing. so i say, "okay i am starting this club in faith that someone will just pop in the door." i gather the children in a circle and begin the club...

suddenly, the door comes swinging open and Nosipo comes busting through..."SURPRISE!" all the kids begin cheering in celebration because they are so happy to see her. but no one is cheering louder than me. i am filled with laughter and tears, as the reality hits me...

i am a DAUGHTER and my Papa loves taking care of me!

i get to rest in his strength, in his love, in his grace all my days.

"Let the Beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for he shields her all day long. the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders." Deuteronomy 33:12

let Papa God take care of you today! trust him to be who He says He is. thank you God!

*name changed.

birthday joy!

2011-09-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

a time to celebrate...

thursday i was driving around masi not exactly sure where to go. it was a rainy, windy day so not many people were around to hang out. i wasn't paying attention and i turned down the wrong street. i thought to myself, "dang it. i always turn down this wrong street." but then up ahead i see one of my favorite mamas walking down the street. i stop to give her a lift. we begin talking about our days when she tells me...

its her birthday! she then shows me her ID: September 1st 1961...IT'S HER 50th BIRTHDAY!

joy fills the car as we begin celebrating... and hooting & hollering :) the reality hits me. this is a BIG deal! so of course, off we go to the nearest store to get this mama something sweet for her happy day!

we get to the store and mama picks a chocolate cake. it was not quite in my budget, but YES! of course this mama needs a cake for her 50th birthday! as we take the cake up to the register we are calling out to anyone who will listen... "its HER 50th birthday!!!" and mama is showing everyone her cake with bursting happiness!

as we pull up to the area she lives, she is calling out from the car for her friends to come and join her for a cake and celebration. everyone is pumped to celebrate her! we then see two kids i am mentoring who are neighbors with mama. they insist that i come in for the party (even though i had an appointment soon, i joyfully agreed!) we go parading through the wetlands to mama's shack; singing, dancing, laughing, cheering, waving our jackets in the air like flags...it is time to CELEBRATE!

people begin pouring into the house, all the kids leading everyone in singing and dancing! they know how to party :)

oh i love these beautiful ones. i have helped those two kids i mentor start a kids club with their friends, who just happen to be all the little ones that came to the party. SO fun to get to share life with these sweet ones that i love so much!

my favorite part of the party was when mama asked me to take a pic cutting the cake with her...wedding style :)

she told me at one point that this was her first time in all her life to have a cake for her birthday. wow. i can't explain how honored i felt that the Lord would lead me to this mama on her special day. i had no idea what to do that afternoon, but the Lord knew. He loves this mama. she is His daughter. she has given her life so fully to Him these past few months, and He wanted to CELEBRATE HIS PRECIOUS ONE! what an honor to be able to help give this mama a gift from the Father on her birthday. i told her that very thing: that it was His idea for this celebration to unfold and it was His gift to her!

thanks Jesus for letting me be a part of that day and for making my life so sweet!

i am humbled.

my heart is FULL.

2011-09-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

even as i write this post two weeks later, my heart is FULL.

full of joy. full of love. and full of thankfulness.

i often think, "how could the Father love me so much that he would give me my sister?"

i am thankful beyond measure that the Father made a way for her to come and visit me here in cape town!

our 10 days together were packed with adventures, laughing, talking, dance parties, more talking, sister crafts, visiting my friends & kids, laughing, laughing and even more laughing.

there is nothing like being with my sister. we really are one. she knows me like no one else does...the deepest parts of my heart, where i have come from, the things i dream for. i don't have to explain myself, i know she loves and treasures me. its BLISS being with my sister!

i took some "holiday time" while lauren was here and got rested up! it was such a glorious time getting to take a step back, slow down and enjoy being with my sis.

i brought laur along to some of the kids clubs i lead in masi...of course they LOVED her immediately. it was so fun to bring my sis along with me in my normal life, for her to get to see what i have been doing here. it was that much better loving on these sweet kids with my sister by my side. what BLISS!

and oh there is something about being with my sister that is so inspiring, so stirring. the way she sees life and Jesus with such passion, joy and wholehearted desire. i LOVE it! i love the things she draws out of my heart! oh the BLISS!

isn't she the cutest?! (celebrating her 23rd birthday!)

thank you Jesus for my sister and for our holiday of all holidays!

alicia brown everybody!

2011-08-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

...and the fun just keeps on coming!

the day after my mom left, i got to receive another visitor. one whom i love so much!

ALICIA BROWN. my dear roommate from the epic apartment 307.

alicia was sent from norman community, my beloved church community from home.

it was such a joy to get to minister in masi with her. she brought so much life to my heart. getting to catch up on each other's lives. getting to hear all about life in norman that has been happening while i have been gone. getting to hear fun testimonies from what the Lord has been doing in her life...getting to receive fresh faith and excitement for the outpouring of God's presence and goodness, and for his great commitment to the redemption of his people.

we have dreamed of being in africa together for a few years now. so needless to say, it was such a joy to be with her in africa!

i am thankful to God for our friendship. can't wait to see the glorious paths he leads us on...i just know they will cross a million times in this life!

my mommy.

2011-08-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

there is no time like momma time.

i am one blessed girl.

i got to spend 15 whole days with my mom.

i got to introduce her to this place that i love so much.

i got to spend hours talking and telling stories,

and just filling her in on the little, unimportant details of my day to day that just can't be shared on weekly skype dates.

i enjoyed so much seeing her love on the kids that have taken up such a special place in my heart.

what a joy to introduce her to those that i have been loving and praying for for years and years and years...the ones who are so important to me.

and what fun it was for us to get to take this little one for her second excursion outside of masi. to get to watch her take in the sites outside the car window and to see the utter joy on her face as we pulled up to the crashing waves and sparkling blue ocean.

and how priceless were the hours of walking along the beach, talking and, of course, if you know my mother, picking up seashells.

i never pick up seashells, but since she went home i have found my self finding the most amazing seashells. i am starting quite a collection.

there is just something so restful about being around my mom. i think it is the comfort and security of being around someone who loves me so fully and unconditionally. my mom always laughs because i get so sleepy when i am with her. its just that i can let my guard down with her. its just so nice to be around a momma's love.

oh how i love that mommy of mine!

rainbows.

2011-08-08T15:16:00.001-07:00

i never cease to find such delight in rainbows. aren't they just so fun?!

lets be reminded of the good and sure promises of God today.

vison & dreams come true

2011-08-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

God is releasing so much vision over my life in this season. two areas he has been giving me vision for is church planting & seeing children healed, raised up and released into greatness.

church planting

the vision:

seeing people experience the love and power of God through relationship with him. sharing what they are discovering with their friends and family (those they are living life with); going on a journey together, in community, towards Jesus. being transformed by his love and grace. learning to love God, listen to him and respond to what he is saying.

seeing broken & hurting children restored in the Father's love

the vision:

seeing kids experience the Father's great love for them. learning to hear His voice for themselves. seeing the lies of the world and the evil one removed from their sweet hearts and replaced with the truth and love of God. seeing the 'least of these' raised up to be influencers and leaders in their generation.

i have been sensing from the Lord that these vision are to be married and that it is what the Lord is calling me to in the future. i have also been sensing that it is a season of seeing glimpses of these dreams that the Father has put in my heart come to be...

Lily*. a sweet, sweet church planter.

this child has been experiencing Jesus in powerful ways. she lives in the poorest part of masi. she is a bright girl, a natural leader. and she loves the Father because she knows him well. she knows his goodness, his love, his mercy. she has experienced his healing in her and through her. she has seen Jesus in dreams. she knows the Father's voice and receives his words for others. and she wants her friends to know her Father like she does. so she has asked me to help her start a kids club for the kids in the wetlands where she lives because they need to know about Jesus too! tomorrow will be our first kids club. and it will not be me leading this thing. she is partnering with me to lead this group because, although she is a child, she knows the Father well.

i am thanking the Father for giving me a glimpse of what it will look like for the visions He is placing deep in my heart to come together. i am so thankful for dreams come true and for the glorious future He is leading me into.

*name changed

wedding bells...a happy time!

2011-08-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

wedding bells are ringing, ringing, ringing...

not for me :) but for many of my friends!

in this past month i got to celebrate two people who are very dear to my heart...two of the girls i have lived with in south africa!

i am celebrating ames, my dear spice, who got engaged to joel a few weeks ago!

what a blessing to spend the last six months with amy; six months filled with adventure, joy, and fun. there is constant sunshine when ames is around. it truly was an honor to live life with my spice and to get to see how much love and respect she has for joel...and now they are getting married! happy day!

and oh! amanda sperle, my sister. as an honorary bridesmaid, i celebrated (from a far) her marriage to tyler this past weekend...

words can not express how much i love amanda. after traveling to africa together twice and living together last year during church planting school in SA, she has become my sis. what a joy it was to be with amanda as her story with tyler began to unfold...to get to see it from the very, very beginning. i could not be happier for amanda and tyler. so perfect for each other. God has so much for their marriage...and now they are officially mr. & mrs. happy day!

thank you Papa for the beautiful gift of marriage. what a picture of your love and covenant with your Bride. we are a blessed people!

abundant blessings: camp in africa

2011-08-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

summer camp in africa.

we laughed, we played, we basked in the Lord’s blessings. his ABUNDANT blessings.

from start to finish, this camp was blessed by the hand of God. it was his idea and he was so faithful to see it happen. and not only just happen, but be extravagantly wonderful! from having the team from Shepherd’s Fold Ranch summer camp (inlcuding my mom, one of my closest friends and many other friends), to the miraculous number of kids that were able to come, to having the Lord provide over and beyond the funds needed, to the heavenly weather...we were lavished upon by the Father!

of course. when the Lord has an idea and we are faithful to partner with him, the miraculous happens!

and the Father loves to lavish his love and goodness over his children, his special treasures. and that is what these kids are! all week, over and over and over, we spoke this very truth over our kids...

you are His special treasure!

you are pursued by the God of the universe...he is after YOU!

and he is worthy to be sought after because he is SO GOOD!

after weeks and weeks and weeks of growing excitement (and words can not express how pumped they were), these kids were READY for camp! they played hard, danced, sang, received lots of fun treats, performed dramas, went on hikes, played at the beach nearby, ate great food and just enjoyed being together.

and this camp was priceless for me and the other mentors because it meant non-stop quality time with these kids we love so much. i feel that we received such new insight into their lives that we never would have received by visiting them weekly or at kids clubs. trust and friendship deepened during the camp, for us and the kids, as well as, between the kids themselves.

and we are already seeing the fruit!

at our weekly friday gathering in masi the following day after camp, we were blown away to see the difference in relationships. family and deeper community was formed and barriers broken down amongst the kids. ndiyabonga! (oh i am so thankful!)

i visited the mama who takes care of five of the kids who were at camp. she went on and on, recalling their stories. this mama has been struggling with a lot of knee pain, so i asked her how it was feeling. she said, “oh the pain is gone! the kids prayed for it when they got back from camp and i was healed!” dumiso uThixo! (praise God!)

i also was visiting with a family of one of the kids from camp. i asked them if she enjoyed the camp. they said “oh yes! she loved it! when can you come and do bible study with us?” the testimonies of what God did through this child has stirred up a spiritual hunger in her family! ndiyabulela! (i am so grateful!)

we were truly showered in God’s goodness and my heart is still praising God!

camp fun!

2011-07-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

it's time for camp!

the first ever VC camp is this monday through thursday for 4o of our VC kids!

its going to be crazy, fun and life-changing for our kids.

i look forward to posting lots of FUN pics and updates next week!

breakthrough.

2011-07-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

breakthrough.

God is a God of breakthrough.

just when i think there is no way, He comes through.

He is faithful and He hears his people!

Every week, we get together in different groups to pray. To seek the Father's heart for the people we love so much in Masi. To contend for breakthrough in their lives and in the community. As we come before the Father with things that feel SO big, so overwhelming at times, we forget how good God really is. We forget that nothing is impossible for him and that He is the master orchestrator.

So why is it a surprise when we see the very things we pray for come to pass? When we see miraculous things happening before our eyes. Why am I floored when I see breakthrough in situations that seem so far off?!

God is so GOOD! and he really does hear his people. below is JUST ONE testimony of the Father's faithfulness that we are experiencing in these days...

One of our desires in the VC program is to reach the whole family where the children live. We have been praying a lot for the moms and care takers of our children. That they would desire to know Jesus and His love, and that they would be touched as a family. After the fire we have been supporting our families and helping them get back on their feet. So many of our families said that they were so touched that Jesus would love them through our help. One older mama, Mama Eilene, was so touched that she said she wanted to give her life fully to Jesus. In her response to Jesus, Mama Eilene began to gather some families together to begin to share life, learn about Jesus, and study His Word in a bible study gathering. We found out that two of the families that Mama Eilene was gathering were two of our VC families! She had no idea that these were some of the very families we have been praying for! She is speaking into their lives and encouraging them in ways that we (as outsiders) could never do! It really is the Father's heart for these families to find hope, healing, purpose and life! He is bringing breakthrough for them... because He is FAITHFUL.

jeremiah 17:7-8

2011-06-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

i am a tree

my roots go deep

by the water.

branches full

leaves are green

its never autumn.

'so sweet'

enter the worship circle,

chair and microphone

the sheep of His pasture.

2011-06-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

i love these kids, our sweet VC kids.

i love that the Father has entrusted us with these beautiful children. 'the least and the looked over,' most would call them. but they are His special ones. 'the vulnerable and the oppressed,' most say. but they are His royal children made for greatness. they are the sheep of his pasture. and he has entrusted them to us. it truly is an honor.

during one of our weekly kids club gatherings a month or so ago, i began to feel a bit discouraged thinking, 'what are we even doing? are we making a difference at all in their lives?'

i felt the Father answer me immediately...

"YES. take heart. i have set these kids apart to grow up in my care." he gave me a picture of a flock of sheep, safely dwelling in the Shepherd's pen. i felt the Lord encouraging me that these kids have been chosen and set apart. we are laying foundations and sowing good seeds that will shape their lives. we are surrounding them with love, care, prayer and truth. we are defending the cause of these orphans and abandoned ones. and they are being protected by the Good Shepherd. they are being lifted up and made radiant by the King of Kings.

praise the LORD, oh my soul! so thankful for the Father's heart for these little ones, His royal children, and that he has trusted me to love and care for them.

GLORY.

2011-06-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

"and the glory of the Lord rises upon you." isaiah 60:1

i am constantly surrounded by the beauty of nature here in cape town. there are moments where i am completely overwhelmed by it. i was walking on the beach one morning as the sun was rising, causing a vibrant display of clouds over the mountains. truly the glory of the Lord was being displayed. i kept thinking i was made for the glory of the Lord! but then i felt the Lord say to me that nature is wonderful and it was created by him to display his majesty and splendor...but that the crowning piece of creation was when he made man...in his image. it hit me that there is nothing more GLORIOUS than watching the redemption of the Lord working in a person's life. witnessing the Creator restore and redeem and "transforming our lowly bodies that it may be conformed to His glorious body!" philippians 3:21. seeing lives of emptiness, brokenness and shame being filled with HIS glory!

now THAT is what i was made for! i was made to see the glory of the Lord rise upon his people!

The epic tale of a miraculously functioning computer.

2011-06-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

i believe in miracles. even ones that involve electronics.

april 18th began just like any other monday. i arrived at the all nations office early, made myself some coffee and sat down at my laptop to get some work done. i reached for my coffee, and before i knew it, i had dropped the mug leaving a pool of coffee on my (fairly new) computer that i had saved foreverrr for. eeeeek! i immediately grabbed my computer, poured the liquid off and (thanks to my friend bowen who knows much about computers) i turned the power off.

my friend, bowen, quickly ran home, grabbed his computer tools, and began taking my computer a part.

about an hour later, my computer was COMPLETELY taken a part and placed in a bucket of rice to soak up the liquid. and that is where it sat for the next three days. the amazing part of the whole experience is i just had such a confidence in my heart that it would all be okay. my motto for the whole process was "I will not be intimidated!" i chose from the first few minutes to not give into being overwhelmed by this unfortunate event, but to choose peace and joy! the very thing the enemy wants in times of hardship, trouble or misfortune is for us to give into despair, sadness, self pity, fear...but what is the Father saying in these times?

"take courage my beloved! for I work all things for your good; I am with you and nothing is impossible for me...if you just have a little faith! "

so that is just what i did. i decided to have faith in the One who is so worthy of my trust!

after the third day (which just so happened to be Good Friday!) my computer was reassembled and, alas, it actually turned on!!! wow. i was overjoyed! there was only a few things that weren't working, the biggest things being the space bar and the delete key. BUT soon bowen had figured out how to pull up a keyboard on the screen. "i will not be intimidated!" i rejoiced in the victory!

SADLY, a day later my computer shut off only to stay shut off :( it would begin to start up and then just die. oh man. but truly, i did not feel discouraged. even though everything was telling me that this is the end of the computer, i felt in my heart that the fight wasn't over.

my computer then sat dead for about a month in my room. bowen decided that he would try and get my hard drive off my computer so i could at least recover all my documents and pictures. he discovered in that process that my computer actually would turn on!!!! but here is the catch: if you do not move the mouse every 8 seconds the computer will shut off! yikes! BUT hey thats a small problem compared to it being completely dead! i was once again overjoyed! AND not only that but the space bar and delete keys NOW worked! oh my goodness..."i will NOT be intimidated!"

after about two weeks of moving the mouse constantly...i was beginning to form a twitch :) i then discovered that if you just hold your hand on the mousepad it will stay on...which led to me discovering that if you put something heavy on the mouse pad, it will hold it down and keep the computer on! (hence the stapler.) WOW. victory after victory!

auntie pat, who works in the all nations office, gave me this beautiful rock, that i have lovingly named the 'rock of contentment' (i have NO idea why, but it is a name that has stuck with me and amy.) at that is the end of this epic tale!

**note: as i wrote this blog post i turned away for a minute (well about 9 seconds to be exact) only to find that my computer had shut off, losing this post that i had not yet saved. arrrg. there are many moments of frustration because of the after effects of that devastating coffee spill. however, each time I remember to stop my grumbling and rejoice for the fact that i have a functioning computer! it truly is a miracle and i am choosing to celebrate every victory the Lord gives!

God is a Redeemer!

2011-06-08T04:01:00.000-07:00

God is a Redeemer.

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of spending the weekend with ten beautiful 15 and 16 year old girls. A few months ago, two members of the Ocean View CPx outreach team, went to the principal of the Ocean View High School and asked him to give them the ten roughest, most troubled girls in the school. The principal happily agreed and they began meeting once a week after school. It did not take the team members long to see that these girls were not “trouble makers” but treasures waiting to be discovered. So they decided to have a camp just for them. A weekend dedicated to loving them and speaking truth into their lives. These girls have seen the harshness of the world. Most are addicted to drugs. Many are involved with gangs and have been abused by family members and boyfriends. These girls come from broken families and cycles of addiction and violence. They don’t have people in their lives telling them what they are really worth. No one is telling them they were made for greatness. No one is believing in them. So we did. Each girl had their own “big sister” for the weekend. It took me about 10 minutes with these girls to absolutely fall in love with them. It was a joy to get to know them and to share a cabin with them. It was so fun to watch them get the chance to simply be teenagers. I loved laying in bed at night listening to them talking and laughing, while eating junk food and listening to music. They told us that this was the first time in a long, long time that they were going to bed sober on a Friday night. wow. But most of all it was a privilege to witness the beauty of their hearts. They shared so much with us. Throughout the weekend we had different “sessions.” The first was about self worth and true identity. Another was about the truth behind a life of drugs, gangs and sex, giving them the hard facts. Another session was dedicated to encouraging them to dream for their futures. And for the last session they brought in women (from the girls' very own community) who have risen above lives of addiction, teen pregnancy and gang involvement, and are now living beautifully redeemed lives because of Jesus! wow. After each session, we would have one-on-one time with our “little sisters.” There were many tears, as they began realizing who they were made to be and the Love and greatness they were created for. After one session, my "little sis" shared with me all about her struggles and some deep secrets of some bad things that have happened to her. She told me that she really did want to leave her life of drugs, but that she didn't know how. “I believe in you.” Such a simple phrase for most, but ground shaking in her life. Tears filled both of our eyes as she began dreaming of a life of freedom and hope. Afterwards, just before she went running off to play volleyball with her friends, she told me that she felt free and happy! She said it felt like a heavy thing was lifted off her heart. wow. What a pleasure to be able to experience the Redeemer working miracles in these young girls lives and to be able to witness the furious love of God begin transforming in their lives. Bit by bit, these girls are finding freedom and life. Why? Because the Lover of their souls delights in them and is pursuing them. He has destined them for greatness and believes in them wholeheartedly. I am thankful that I got to spend a weekend with these girls and catch a glimpse into his heart for them.

jacob.

2011-05-29T07:29:00.000-07:00

For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself,

Israel for His special treasure. Psalm 135:4

Last yearI had the wonderful privilege of being roommates with a woman named Nicole during CPx training school. I was constantly learning from her and being challenged by her relationship with the Lord. She trusts and listens to the Father without fear and with great faith. And because of this trust and faith the Lord moves mightily in her life and entrusts her with much. During CPx, the Lord began speaking to her about a dream that had been in her heart for many years...to adopt. no wait. This story begins far before last year. This story begins before the beginning of time. It begins when the Father began dreaming of a precious boy that would be born. He knew his face. He knew his name. He knew the plans for his life. He knew that he would call Nicole to South Africa and that she would be willing. Willing to lay down her life for another. To give up all the comforts of home and family to move to a distant land. To sacrifice her life to care for a child whose young, hurting mother could not care for him. Last March, Nicole and Jacob's lives crossed in the All Nations office after he had been taken into BabySafe's care. (Babysafe is an amazing ministry connected to All Nations. For more info visit www.thebabysafe.org). The story of how the Lord confirmed over and over again that Nicole was to foster Jacob is an unbelievable story of the Father's beautiful orchestration and I am so honored to been a first hand witness to it. Nicole has been fostering Jacob since last December and was recently officially named Jacob's foster mom for the next two years! Jacob's mother is still in contact with him and is being mentored by a Babysafe member, in order for her to finish high school and be in a place where she can eventually raise her son. She is an unbelievable foster mother. She is laying solid foundations of extravagant love and sowing seeds in his little life that will forever change him! I am so blessed to get to be a part of Nicole and Jacob's lives here. I often get to babysit Jacob and spend time with him. He is an absolute joy! I am so in love with him!

I just wanted to share Nicole and Jacob's story. God provides miraculously for Nicole and Jacob weekly! Recently, Nicole enrolled Jacob in school and is really trusting the Lord to provide the $250 a month for the tuition. If you, or anyone you know would like to sow into Jacob's life and sponsor his school fees, please let me know and I will give you the giving info! Or you can contact Nicole directly at lalli911@gmail.com or read more about her at www.lalli911.blogspot.com.

with Love,

whit

princes and princesses :)

2011-05-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

His royal children...

this past week at kids club, Anna asked the kids, "Who is the King who lives in heaven?" One child raised her hand and answered, "God!" Anna then asked, "Well then who are His princes and princess?" One of our sweet girls quickly shot her hand up. She answered, "PRINCESS FIONA!" I just began laughing knowing exactly what she was referring to...the princess from SHREK :) We laughed really hard and explained, "Yes Fiona is a princess but so are each one of us!" Oh the joys of spending my time with sweet kids!

a fresh commitment! and stories from my life.

2011-05-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

I have not been very good about sharing my stories through my blog in the past month or so. Two weeks of being sick, Easter and several South African holidays, and then the devastating fire in Masi has taken a toll on my amount of blogging. BUT I am making a commitment to blog more frequently; to share my daily life, the little happenings, funny stories, revelations, pictures. My heart for this blog is to bring my amazing family, friends and community along with me on this journey. So here we go!

update from the fire:

Jehovah Jireh. God provides.

We are still receiving donation after donation for the Masi fire victims. Food parcels, clothes, boxes and boxes of brand new shoes, furniture, mattresses, pots and pans, dishes, and building material... lots and lots of building material! We received a phone call that 12 truckloads of building materials were being donated to Masi from the sets of DENZEL WASHINGTON'S new movie that was being filmed in South Africa!

God has prepared a HARVEST among the people in the Wetlands who were in the fire. He is not only wanting to rebuild and restore shacks and possessions to his people, but he is wanting to rebuild and restore hearts and lives! He is preparing his people to be transformed by HIS love, goodness and grace. He longs for a people whose lives are built on the Rock, who will not be shaken. People who will rise above the ashes and walk in the glorious future he dreams of for them! God is faithful.

let faith arise.

it is easy to fall into routine. to get caught up in business. It is easy to forget to take time to stop and really dream. this past week, a fresh measure of faith has been rising up in my heart. I am made for the impossible. to see Light dawn in the hardest, darkest places. there has been a stirring in my heart to live for these things wholeheartedly! To press into the Father's great love and to dream with him without limit!

I have recently started meeting with a family full of drunkards. I was sitting with them at 2:00 in the afternoon the other day as they proceeded to drink one glass of alcohol after another. They are looking at me and telling me all the terrible things that happen when they are drunk. One tells me her boyfriend beats her. The mama, who is a half hearted witch doctor, tells me that she got the cast on her arm because a man kicked her when they were fighting over alcohol. One of the women is skin and bones, and is very ill. They tell me they want to quit living like this...as they pour another drink. It would be easy to think they are just a lost cause. to throw in the towel and find another family to spend time with. But I feel the Father whispering, "Stay. My love is always greater than the darkness." I am believing for the miraculous. I am believing for life and freedom for this family! Let faith arise!

story of the week.

A fixture in my week has been my run-ins with Maria. Everyone knew Maria as being "crazy." She was often drunk or high from drugs, and she would say she was schizophrenic. Maria would often come up to just about anyone and begin telling them about her life and about the abuse she has experienced from her previous husbands, family members, her neighbors...just about anyone. She would talk about how she has no money and that she sometimes sells her body for money. Several weeks in a row Maria would show up at the shack where me Nosipo (the amazing girl I spoke about in a previous post) were meeting. Each time, after pouring her heart out once again, me and Nosipo would minister to her, speaking truth and praying for her. It seemed a bit hopeless, but I truly believed that the Father had more for her.

Two weeks ago Maria comes up to my car. She looks beautiful. There is a brightness in her eyes that I had never seen. She tells me that she has meet Jesus. I really could not believe my eyes. She tells me about how Nceba (a friend of mine who was in my CPx class) prayed for. She tells me that when he prayed something happened inside of her. She says that it is as if her mind suddenly became clear. He told her to quit drinking and drugs. So she did. She has been sober for three weeks now. She has been meeting with a group of women that meets on Thursdays. I am in complete awe as she tells story after story of the miracles that are happening in her life daily. She has experienced the love and power of Jesus and it is completely transforming her life! Even her friends who are also trapped in a life of alcohol and prostitution are seeing the transformation. They are asking her "what is different?!" They are telling her "we want what you have!" And she tells them, "Its Jesus." He really is enough! The power of his love is real. And I have seen it in Maria.

a few pics for you to enjoy!

beach day last month with some of my favorite kids. i am missing those warm beach days now that it is nearing winter here!

I LOVE spending time with these funny girls. They are always singing and laughing!

Sunrise breakfast with friends on Easter morning!

Suretha, a friend from CPx last year, got married last month! So fun to attend a South African wedding. It was all in Afrikaans, but luckily we had George (on the left) who could translate for us :)

with Love,

whit

2011-05-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the ash heap... (ps. 113)

One of the biggest fires Masiphumelele has ever seen swept through the Wetlands (the poorest part of Masi) early Monday morning. The fire trucks arrived soon after it started, however because of the wind and the location of the raging fire in the back of the wetlands prevented the firemen from getting to where the fire started. The count of lost homes on Monday was 1,500.

It truly is a devastation for the community. Thousands upon thousands have been affected. The fire spread so quickly that most of the people I have spoken to were not able to salvage much of their belongings. This fire effected 8 of our Vulnerable Children families. And in our All Nations family, we have many more BabySafe clients, house church members, and friends that have lost their homes, as well.
I spent all day Monday in Masi doing whatever I could to help. I spent time connecting with each of our VC families, assessing needs and comforting them as best I could. We partnered with the disaster relief efforts, volunteering our time and service organizing donations and serving food. I spent time with some of our VC children who had no where to go while their parents worked on registering with the government, clearing out the debris and gathering supplies. We "set up camp" at our prayer shack in Masi, providing them a place to rest and food to eat. We thankfully have space in our Africa House to house some of the families that lost their homes and had no one in the township to stay with. Our families are beginning to make plans on how to start again. They have all registered with the government in order to receive aid. On Monday, they received two thin blankets and food from the government. They will also receive five tins and some wood. This will not build a shack, but it is a start. We are hoping to provide clothing, coats, school uniforms, blankets, building materials, furniture and basic household items for our VC families and some of the families that we have relationship with. We are also continuing to partner with the local efforts to provide assistance to as many families as possible.

It truly is overwhelming. But I am filled with comfort as I turn to the Father who cares. He cares for his children. He is not abandoning them in this hour of crisis. At times I feel to overwhelmed to even know where to begin to pray for the multitude of people who have lost so much. But the thing that the Lord speaks to me over and over is HOPE. I am crying out for the God of comfort to fill his people with his HOPE. I am praying that they would be filled and overflowing with the reassurance that the Father is with them. I am praying that the same hope that drew me to Jesus in my most desperate hour would fill each and every hopeless and desperate heart. Please join with me in praying this over the people of Masi!

If you would like to give financially toward the fire relief efforts in Masi you can send donations to:
All Nations Family, Inc
c/o Walsh Washburn
5360 College Boulevard Ste. 100
Overland Park, KS 66211
**Please enclose a note that says "Crisis Relief Fund, Cape Town"

If you live in the Cape Town are and would like to find out how you can help please contact me at Whitneyelise211@gmail.com and I would love to send you more info!

A picture (taken by a friend who lives in Masi) during the height of the fire early Monday morning.

Have you ever seen such big pots?! The government brought in a hot meal Monday evening.

That is a LOT of rice, people!

There was a huge rainbow as we drove into Masi Monday afternoon! Thank you Lord. You are faithful and loving, and your promises are always sure.

We gathered our sweet VC kids for a fire safety presentation just last Friday. When I found one of our young VC girls on Monday after the fire, she proudly told me that right as the fires started she told her mother that they must call the fire department and then told her the number! (very few people here know the emergency numbers and it often takes a while before the fire dept. is called). So proud of our little one!

Oh how I love these kids! Friday afternoon kids club.

Blessings to each of you! I will write more soon.

with love,
whit

nothing is too big.

2011-03-27T03:29:00.000-07:00

over and over as I look into the eyes of the hopeless, the destitute, the sad and the oppressed, I am filled with an assurance that nothing is too big for the Father. As I listen to stories of children sharing the horrible things their young eyes have seen, I am filled with hope that nothing is too big for the Father. No circumstance is too difficult and no one is too far off to be redeemed by his love.

I have a sweet friend that I met last year name Nosipo (name changed). She is beautiful, inside and out. She is so special. She is an orphan. She is 19 and has a one year old daughter. She has told me in the past that she had no hope. She has told me that she has been crying since her birth; that her life has been so full of hardship. She has told me with great sadness that her life has turned out so differently than what she had dreamed. But as I looked into her eyes, I did not see a hopeless orphan. I saw a chosen daughter of the King, whose destiny was brilliant and glorious. I saw one who was so seen by God and who was being relentlessly pursued by Him. What it a joy it has been to walk with her on her journey towards finding her true identity and the abundant life she was created for. Just the other day as I sat with her and her little girl in their shack, she told me with great joy the ways the Father has been providing jobs (she is very skilled at braiding women’s hair) every weekend since we prayed specifically for that! She has begun facilitating a children’s support group for a program for orphans that she used to participate in when she was younger! Her heart is beginning to dream again as she takes hold of the truth that nothing is too big for the Father.

Last night I volunteered with Hope Prison Ministries, a ministry in Pollsmoor prison that All Nations is connected with. They put on a marriage enrichment dinner at the prison for the wardens and their spouses. Amy and I helped serve the dinner. What we didn’t know until we got there is that we would be serving with two of the inmates that work in the dining area for their “job” in prison. These guys are wonderful people. We had so much fun serving with them and getting to know them. They were so humble and so open. They shared much with us. The Lord began speaking to me about his heart for them. So later in the evening I got to share with them the words the Lord was giving me for them. They both received the words with great joy, soaking it up. I can’t explain the joy of looking into the eyes of these prodigal sons who have NO idea of the Love they were created for. We talked about the Father for a while. I shared my testimony of redemption. As I shared, one of the guys, Jude (name changed), was just staring with an intense hunger in his eyes like I have never seen before. After we had kind of changed the subject, he said me with such sincerity and desperation, “Tell me more.” I shared my story and about the Lord’s goodness in my life. Amy and I shared with him about a Father who can do anything. They then began sharing about life in prison. They shared about the prison gangs and the gang’s rank system; that they are bound by these gangs to do as they say or else they will be killed. Jude said he didn’t know how he could begin a life with the Lord while he is still in prison. He said he wanted it, but it seemed impossible. As I looked into his desperate and hungry eyes, I was filled with faith that truly nothing is too big for the Father. I believe that just as God met Joseph in his darkest hour, locked away in Pharaoh’s prison, he will make a way where there is no way for Jude. He will deliver Jude because nothing is too big for the Father.

with love,

whit

a day in the life.

2011-03-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

many people have asked me the question:

“what does a normal day look like for you?”

so I thought I would choose a day from last week and give you a run down of what I was up to!

wednesday, March 9th:

7:00 am: Wake up, pray, take a walk, get ready for the day and pack my lunch.

9:00 am: Head to the All Nations prayer shack in Masiphumelele for Masi team prayer. we pack in the prayer shack once a week as a team to worship together and cry out for the people of Masi!

10:30 am: To Africa House (all nations “headquarters”) this week is the Housechurch Leaders Gathering that I am organizing for Floyd. So I spent a few hours in the office nailing down details for the event. The office is full of wonderful people and lots of activity. Although logistical work isn’t always the most fun, we are all very fond of our time in the office because of the vibrant community we get to partake in while there :)

12:30 pm: Planning session with Amy (fellow intern/housemate). brainstorming a strategic plan to target potential local resources/donors for the Vulnerable Children program.

1:30 pm: TO MASI! (my favorite time of day!) We picked up one of our VC girls for a treat at KFC for her birthday! Words can not describe how excited she was for her special outing!

3:00 pm: We met up with Sbu, a local Masi guy, who is a part of our Masi team (he did CPx with me). He has a huge heart for the young guys in masi and is partnering with us to reach our teenage VC boys!

We headed to one of the VC households that I am mentoring. There are two teenage boys in this family. They are orphans and are being raised by an aunt (who has 5 children of her own!). I have connected with the aunt and the other girls and children in the home, but the boys are SO shy with me. Sbu has a real gift with people/kids and immediately connected with the boys! It would have taken me MONTHS to build the connection that Sbu had in the first 5 minutes! As Sbu got to know the guys, I spent some time with the Mama of the house. As I had been praying for her earlier in the week the Lord had given me to verses to encourage her with. She is a beautiful and loving women. She has such a heart for her family and single handedly provides for 7 children!

We then headed to one of the VC households Amy is mentoring. They have two teenage guys as well. Sbu connected with them and even planned a beach day with the guys from the two households! (we are working on starting a guys group. there is a desperate need for the young guys to have good male role models, as well as, a place for them to find peers who will be a good influence, so we are in the process of starting a ‘boys club’ with our VC teenage boys!)

7:00 pm: me and Amy headed home for dinner and rest!

that is a pretty typical day! my days are never the same and never dull! some days are hard as I walk with dear friends who have nothing and are battling circumstances that are larger than I can even fathom. I see and hear things everyday that bring such pain to my heart. But I also am seeing the mighty hand of God moving among his people on a daily basis. I am seeing miracles and redemption happening before my very eyes. I am seeing God defend the cause of the fatherless, the widows, the downcast and the brokenhearted. He is mighty to save and he has invited me to be a part of it! I love this journey and I am learning more and more that although it may seem hard or impossible at times, there is NOTHING that compares with a life fully given to Jesus and seeing his Kingdom come! although it seems that I gave up so much in leaving home, my life is so full and rich. And that is the glory of giving up all for Jesus...he fills our empty hands with the riches of his Kingdom!

here are some pics of my life lately:

"The heavens declare the glory of God..."

"the skies proclaim the work of his hands..." Psalm19:1

an afternoon in masi. the kids LOVE my car. ALL the kids call it ngwinya which means "fat cook" or a south african fried bread. i don't know why they all call it that!

the other day there was random traffic on the road near my house. as i got closer i realized the traffic was caused by horses on the road! T.I.A! (This. Is. Africa.)

Food for 300! I was in charge of our monthly Celebration (where all the house churches and people in the All Nations family get together to celebrate what God is doing). Shopping for enough food to feed 300 people is NO easy task!

this is a pretty typical sight...the back of my car is often filled with beautiful kids like these!

i just thought this was the cutest sight! they were fascinated by amy's glasses! they took turns reading my Xhosa bible with amy's glasses on :)

thanks for reading!

much love and joy to you,

whit

wholehearted devotion

2011-02-24T06:22:00.000-08:00

Every Wednesday morning our team crams into our tiny prayer shack in Masi for our weekly prayer gathering. We long for heaven to invade earth, for the glorious Kingdom of Light to flood Masi, driving out the darkness and pain. We cry out for chains to be broken, lives to be healed and hearts released to rejoice in their Father! As we gathered to pray this week, there was a stirring in my heart to pray for people who will WHOLEHEARTEDLY seek God and give him their hearts. God is faithful. ALL the time. Even when we are so unfaithful. Even when we don't choose him and we run after other lovers. God is faithful. My heart was crying out that all of his people, myself included, would no longer have divided hearts, but that with wholehearted pursuit we would seek the One who loves us always.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

CRAZY WEEK! Update on life here from the past week and half:

Beach day on Saturday with 30 friends from Masi! it was a wonderful success. So much laughter and joy. New friendships formed and people getting connected to community. Perfect weather. We couldn't have asked for a better time! See pics below! :)
God is answering our prayers! We have had a handful of men within All Nations step up to partner with us to see our older boys mentored! These guys need role models. This is truly a fatherless generation...but God is raising up a new generation of faithful, loving, pure men!
I am continuing to get connected to more VC families, kids and women. Building friendship, heart connections, insight into needs. I am getting more and more excited about the possibilities!
Busy week in the All Nations office! One of the areas that I am serving All Nations (on the admin/logistical side of things) is I am heading up the team that puts on our monthly celebrations (a time when we gather everyone in the All Nations family/network). It is quite a big job! This Sunday is our first of the year...so I have been running around getting things ready!
I have spent a large portion of my week trying to get my car registered (ahhh!). It has been QUITE the process! I have been feeling frustrated that I have to spend time doing this...but today while my car was in the shop getting a required tune-up, I was carless all day. There were a million things I needed to do and I was just stuck waiting on other people to give me rides. I suddenly realized how thankful I am for my car!!! I AM SO BLESSED TO HAVE IT!!!
This Friday, several people on our VC team have the wonderful opportunity to attend a workshop where we will be trained in how to facilitate groups to mentor girls in living a pure lifestyle! So excited! :)

beach day with friends from Masi! look at all those kids soaking up the fun!

the minute the kids hit the beach, they took off running for the water! Even thought the water was FREEZING they were fearlessly swimming and splashing in it all afternoon!

Lunch time at the beach :) We brought sandwiches and fruit for a picnic on the beach!

so fun to be able to connect with new friends!

a brother and sister having fun together!

thanks for reading! :) happy weekend!

with love,

whit

the eyes of LOVE.

2011-02-13T07:23:00.000-08:00

He says to me,

look into the eyes of love.

Into the eyes of the One who has loved me before my birth. Who knows me better than anyone else, who calls me Beautiful One even when I am deep in the muck and mire of this broken world. The One who calls me forth into his love, into his grace, into his family and into the glorious destiny that he has dreamed over my life. He is the One who lifts me up and crowns my head with his love and goodness, who calls me into royalty and true riches, who fills my life with his glory and his presence. And in him I find contentment and peace. He invites me over and over, saying "Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me." (song of songs 2:10)

'Come look into my eyes of love.

Be made whole in my love.'

With this invitation I walk into the township community, Masiphumele. With this invitation I spend time the women in Masi, whose lives are filled with brokenness, pain, fear and loneliness. With this invitation I call them to leave the ashes of their lives and receive beauty. I call them to receive the love of the Father who will never leave them or forsake them. To drink in the affection of the One who is the lover of their souls.

God is pursuing his people. He is crying out for his sons and daughters to come and be made whole in his love. Here is one such story:

I met Gloria last year during CPx. I had come to spend some time with a family I had recently met and she was simply there visiting for the afternoon. She was a beautiful, young, tiny framed girl. She was very pregnant and had her 3 year old daughter with her. In the short time I spent with her, my heart was filled with deep love and compassion for this young woman. That next day she was on my heart and mind, so I spent time praying for her. The Lord began speaking to me about how he longed for her to know that he would never leave her or forsake her as her father did. That he had come for her. I prayed for her and thought about her often, but I never saw her again because she had moved across Masi to live with her boyfriend. Even as I traveled back to America, I often would think of Gloria...

Last Friday at Vovo's women's gathering in Masi, as I sat crowded in a shack full of women, I looked up to see Gloria walk in. I only saw her once a year ago, but I knew it was her! She carried a one year old boy on her back and held the hand of her young daughter...my heart was filled with joy! As many of the women shared their testimonies of God's goodness in their lives, she shared how she was overwhelmed with her difficult circumstances in life but that last year she had gotten connected to Baby Safe (an All Nations project that supports babies and mothers in need). She shared how she had been given hope. I sat in awe of how much the Father loved this woman. After the gathering was over I went to her and shared with her how I had been praying for her since we met. Her face was filled with joy! She is being pursued by the Father because of his great love and delight for her! I am filled with hope and expectancy for what he has for her life and I am so looking forward to spending more time with her.

What joy it is bring such an invitation to hurting, broken and dying people. To go with such good news! To carry a banner of love! To have hands that are full of hope, grace and healing! I am honored to be a vessel of love to a world that so desperately needs it!

Current and upcoming news:

-I have been assigned the families I am mentoring through Vulnerable Children! I am so eager to begin spending time with them and loving on these families!

-Next Saturday we are taking the VC kids to the beach! Listening to them scream and dance for joy when we told them of the beach day was truly priceless!

-I am taking on a lot of administration work for the VC program. I am excited to be able to serve in this way and put my degree to good work!

-I am celebrating the engagement of my dear, dear friend Amanda Sperle to Tyler Hardage! It is hard to be so far away, but I am rejoicing nonetheless!

-I had a WONDERFUL birthday on friday! It was a dream of a birthday! Breakfast in bed, relaxing on the beach, my favorite meal for dinner, lots of friends for a game night and tons of love from home! I am one blessed girl :)

THANKS FOR READING! I am BEYOND BLESSED by each of you who has joined me on this journey!

with love,

whit

dreaming big dreams!

2011-02-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

Another wonderful week in Cape Town!

Last thursday and friday, the Vulnerable Children (VC) team spent two days in strategic planning meetings. It was such a good time of vision casting, assessing our current situation and then coming up with the most pressing strategic issues we are facing. My very favorite part of the process was vision casting. Our facilitator asked us, "Ten years down the road, if you could dream up absolutely anything over these children and families what would it be?" He encouraged us not ask the question of "how will we get there," but instead to dream BIG. What a joy to be able to dream abundant dreams! That is the heart of the God of the impossible!

VISION FOR VC PROGRAM IN 2021:

The Vulnerable Children (VC) kids have become role models and they are influencing all of South Africa. The first generation of VC kids have become the leaders of their generation.

A model of empowerment has been developed that is now used throughout Africa. This empowerment model is now owned by locals and has become a dynamic movement. VC is running a successful skill training program consisting of a network of local leaders who provide the training for others in their community.

These children are empowered to impact the nation through their Christ-like identity. They are free from shame and their wholeness is impacting all spheres of the community. These children are free from the spirit and mindset of poverty and generational cycles of poverty, abuse, addiction, neglect are broken. As they have grown up these children are now skilled parents in loving, healthy homes. The value of marriage and family has been restored in Masi and beyond.

Children are the catalysts for revival and are leading the Church in Masi in moves of the Holy Spirit. They are doing the “greater things”(reference) that Jesus spoke about--signs and wonders, healing the sick, raising the dead and prophesying.

Vulnerable Children Mission Statement:

Vulnerable Children is a Jesus-centered ministry that meets the felt practical needs of vulnerable families. We disciple and advocate for the next generation of leaders, breaking the cycle of poverty, bringing restoration and launching the vulnerable into their God-given purpose.

highlights from the week:

-God healed me the other night! I suddenly became very nauseated and achy on Sunday afternoon (I had a stomach bug the week before so I was sooo bummed to be getting it again!). I felt that I needed to call my mom and have her pray for me. After my mom prayed over me, the achiness instantly left me and after a little while longer all the nausea was gone!!! I have never been healed so quickly and fully! The Father is taking such good care of me!

-I saw my first snake here eeek :( not very fun...i freaked freaked freaked.

-Friday afternoon I got to attend a women's gathering in Masi. Vovo (a incredible woman who lives in Masi and who attended CPx with me last year) had a vision from the Lord for the woman in their network of simples churches/bible studies. She has a heart for community and for these women to have have deep friendship, encouragement and support. So many of the women live such separate lives, not sharing the deep, hard things they are walking through. So she invited the women in their network to come, spend time together, eat yummy baked goods and share our life stories with one another. There was more than 20 woman packed in a small shack, listening intently as one after another shared their testimony of how God has lifted them from the pit and transformed their lives! It was incredibly beautiful. I am so thankful to be a part of community and what the Lord is doing in Masi!

thanks for following my journey! much love, joy and peace to you this week!

with love,

whit

my new home!

2011-01-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

LIFE IN SOUTH AFRICA: week 1

Here is a run down of my first week:

I arrived last Saturday evening safe and sound in south africa! The Lord was SO good to me and was so near during my 24 hour solo trip across the world. I had such traveling mercies... so much favor where needed, kind people, lots of sleep and on time flights! I was greeted at the airport by brandon and julianna jones (a couple from norman community who participated in CPx with me last year) and they even had a yummy smoothie waiting for me!
I unfortunately got a stomach bug on my second day here! ugh! nothing worse than being sick in a new place, but it only lasted a day and half and I was completely better by wednesday! Thank the Lord!
This week was 'At Home Week' where all of All Nations family gets together to kick off the new year. Floyd invited Ken Primrose (the pastor of my church, Norman Community Church) to come and speak/equip the All Nation's long termers in functioning in the power of the Holy Spirit (healing, prophesy, etc.) What a JOY to have my two spiritual families in one place!!!
I LOVE WHERE I AM LIVING! i am so unbelievably thankful for the arndts inviting me to live in their home. I am also so thankful for Amy who is living with us as well. We knew each other in high school, but haven't seen much of each other since then. But we get along SO well! We are sharing a car and both working with Vulnerable Children. We have so much fun together, she is such a generous and warm person, and I just really enjoy being around her! Thank you Jesus for giving me such an amazing house mate and friend here!
I am so expectant for this year and all that it holds! Excitement and vision are bursting within me! This week I will begin to settle into more normal life, so more updates to come!

Me and my house mate, Amy!

The other day we were trying to have a family meeting with the arndts, but it kept being interrupted by a huge troop of VERY persistent baboons!!! They kept coming back over and over, even though mike was shooting at them with his slingshot! T.I.A! (this is africa! :)

Me and Amy in front of our really cute (and old) bug! I am so thankful that I was able to buy a car, now I just need to learn to drive it! (Luckily Amy can drive it!) I had my first driving lesson yesterday to learn how to drive a stick shift. It went well but I need a few more lessons before I drive on my own!

A few of my friends from All Nations on a hike on our day off! I am constantly in awe of how beautiful south africa is! So thankful for fun adventures with great people!

happy monday to you all!

love,

whit

south africa...

2011-01-12T23:44:00.000-08:00

...here i come!

i depart from tulsa on friday january 14th at 12:49 pm on a 24 hour journey to my home for the next year! what a blessing and honor to have you along for the ride! please stay tuned for more updates as i settle into life in cape town, south africa!

with love,

whit

WORKERS FOR THE HARVEST!

2011-01-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

{a call for financial resources to send faithful disciples in Zimbabwe to All Nations training school!}

"He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore,

to send out workers into his harvest field."

Luke 10:2

I am so happy to share that three Zimbabweans that we met during out outreach during teaching phase of CPx (the training school I was apart of) will be participating in CPx 2011 in Cape Town!!! What a joy to know that we truly found what Jesus spoke about when he talked about "people of peace;" men and women who are truly hungry for the Kingdom of God and faithful to respond to his voice. They are people of influence in their community and who will take the hope of Jesus they have found and bring it to the people in their lives. They are people who are ready to be empowered to discover Jesus for themselves, share it with others and in turn raise up more people who will do the same! These four Zimbabweans have been discipled by and in close relationship with Munya, the long-term All Nations worker in Zimbabwe. We know them well and are deeply proud of their faith and their sacrifice!

THEY NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!

As most of you know Zimbabwe is recovering from a devastating economic collapse These men and women barely have the means to provide for basic needs. So they have no means to raise what to them is an astronomical sum...BUT GOD PROVIDES!

LOGISTICS

They pay everything they can to be a student, meager as it is… and they also participate in student work programs. The cost for tuition, room and board (held at Africa House, our training center), training materials, outreach expenses, etc., is $3,000 per person for the entire six months of training. This $3,000 ($500 per month) will equip a passionate man or woman to reach others for Christ––offering hope so others might find new life.

Anything the Lord lays on your heart would be a tremendous blessing to help these potential world changers - $125 would cover a week of training; $500 a month; every $3,000 will cover the entire training for a disciple ready to dedicate their life to full-time ministry.

We are so blessed to have abundant resources! Let us help send the faithful who are hungry to see their communities and nation transformed by Jesus to be equipped to do so! If you feel stirred to do so I have enclosed giving info below!

I AM LEAVING JANUARY 14TH FOR SOUTH AFRICA! MORE UPDATES TO COME AS I MOVE AND GET SETTLED IN TO MY NEW HOME FOR THE YEAR!!!
with love,
whit

*you can make checks out to ALL NATIONS (with a note saying 'for student scholarships') and send to:

All Nations Support, c/o Walsh and Washburn, Attn: Terri Yost
5360 College Boulevard, Suite, 100,
Overland Park, Kansas 66211

ABUNDANCE!

2010-12-04T21:43:00.000-08:00

one of the things I prayed so much for when I got back from South Africa was that my 5 months of preparation before going back would not fee like a stagnant waiting time, but that it would be a season of ABUNDANCE. The Lord is so good and so faithful! It has truly been a season full of his good, good gifts!

here are the highlights of this sweet preparation season:

1. THE LORD PROVIDES!

i have one testimony after another of how the Lord has completely taken care of every little detail for my move back to south africa! from raising financial support (i am almost at100%!), to providing me a PERFECT home (with my sister-in-law's parents who are like family to me!), to pouring out vision for my time there. each step of the way has been covered in the Lord's grace, favor and peace! thank you Jesus!

2. i have the best "family" in norman!

one of the sweetest things for me was coming back from south africa after 5 months and being welcomed by my house church community with such open arms. it felt as if i never left. that is family! they have loved me so well in this time and have been SO supportive. my house church even put on garage sale for me to help raise money! (some pics below). it was a COLD, RAINY weekend...but they stuck it out! i felt so unbelievably loved by them!

3. the Lord has poured out his dreams over me!

in this season i have come to the realization that before i was even born, the Father dreamed EXTRAVAGANT dreams over my life! they are better than i could ever dream of. i have thought of some great things for my life...but what God has is actually BETTER. and God is so worthy to receive his dreams! the cry of my heart this season has been... that the Lord would receive EVERY dream of his heart for my life!!! i am letting go of the mediocre dreams i have for myself, i am getting out of the way and giving myself FULLY to the dreams of the Lord!

well in this season the Lord has been speaking (so loudly) the things he is calling me into in my future! i feel he is speaking so clearly, stirring my heart so intensely and pouring out one prophetic word/confirmation after another...it has been so sweet to feel that i am walking right into the good things he has planned for me! i have never felt SO sure that i am doing exactly what the Lord is asking me to do in going back to south africa!

4. so much JOY, peace, intimacy, revelation

it has definitely not been a slow, stagnant, waiting season...it has been a season FULL of the Lord. it doesn't matter what our circumstances are...God always has storehouses full of good things he wants to pour out on our lives! we must ALWAYS keep our hearts open to receive the ABUNDANCE the Lord has for us!!!

more updates to come! THANK YOU to each one of you who have decided to be a part of my support team! i am blessed beyond words!

i pray that this Christmas season would be one filled and overflowing with God's good gifts for you; love, joy, peace and his nearness! and that we would really celebrate in this time the greatest gift ever given...JESUS! a merry, merry christmas to you!

with love,

whit

the Journey continues: details about my next year in South Africa!

2010-10-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

...and the glorious journey continues!

i could not be more excited for or feel more certain of the things the Lord is calling me to!

HERE ARE THE DETAILS FOR MY NEXT YEAR!

I will be moving to Cape Town, South Africa at the end of January 2011 for an eleven month internship with All Nations. During this time I will be living with an All Nations couple who have graciously opened their home to me! (They are not only teachers from the school I just participated in, but they are my sister-in-law’s parents! What a blessing!) I will be spending my time (30-50 hours a week) in Masiphumelele, one of the impoverished, yet beautiful township communities in Cape Town. I will be pouring out my prayers, time and love over the people of this community. I will be specifically focusing on meeting with with VC children and their households. I will spend much of my time building relationship, discipling, encouraging and advocating for needs that arise. Weekly I will spend time distributing food packages and helping put on the a kids club for the VC children. One of my greatest joys is the long lasting relationships I have formed in MasiphumeleIe. I am so excited to be able to continue meeting with and discipling women that I have formed relationship with over the years of visiting South Africa! Lastly, I will also help out with any administrative needs in the office and be a part of an All Nations house church.

WHAT IS ALL NATIONS?

All Nations is a non for profit organization that seeks to partner with the Holy Spirit to pioneer simple Jesus-centered communities in homes, businesses, or anywhere Jesus is not worshiped. The All Nation’s family focuses on bringing the love and hope of Jesus in a holistic way, meeting people’s needs on all levels. The All Nation’s family is full of people who passionately love Jesus, desire for him to be worshipped by all peoples, and who burn to see justice come to the poor and oppressed. I am so eager to fully give myself to this beautiful family and to run after the Kingdom with them!

WHAT IS THE VULNERABLE CHILDREN PROGRAM?

Vulnerable Children (VC) is an All Nation’s program whose aim is to care for the needs of vulnerable children and their households in the township, Masiphumelele. The focus is to support children who have lost both parents, or may have a remaining parent who is ill, most usually from HIV/AIDS. Many of these orphaned children are either raised by the oldest child in the home or are passed around between different family members who in most cases can not afford to properly care for the children in their own families. Through sponsorship, VC helps with practical needs such as food, school supplies and blankets. Because the hope and vision is to see these kids and families raised up and empowered to live out the destiny that God has for them, VC volunteers mentor and disciple these children, as well as advocate for and empower the children and families through education, job training, and more. The Father loves these children and families, and desires for their lives to be transformed by his love, grace and hope!

For more information on the different ways that YOU

can get involved with Vulnerable Children program

go to:

www.vulnerablechildrensa.com

WHY AM I GOING BACK?

After spending five months in Cape Town, South Africa participating in All Nation’s Church Planting school, CPx, I have never felt more excited and committed to giving my life to see the Kingdom of God touch the ends of the earth! During my time there I received so much wisdom and strategy for bringing the love of God to spiritually desperate and hungry people, and making disciples of Jesus who will go and make more disciples. I was equipped to be a catalyst for movements that will transform entire communities. The Lord also began to speak to me about the dreams and plans he has over my life. He began stirring up in new ways things that he has placed deep within my heart; a passion to see oppressed, broken, hurting, unloved and abused children raised up to know God, to love him and to hear his voice. For families to be restored; fathers returning to their children, mothers healed and set free, and their children to live in families where they will be loved, treasured and raised up! This is so near to God’s heart!

For many years now, the cry of my heart has been for the poor, the unloved, the hopeless and the broken to be changed by the love and hope of their heavenly Father. I have grown more and more eager to give up the comforts of my life here to pursue the Lord’s Kingdom in the hard, dark places that so desperately need the light of Jesus! In recent years, the Lord has given me a passion for church planting movements (movements consisting of simple communities of faith whose aim is to see disciples producing disciples and simple churches producing more simple churches.) And now the Lord has led me to an opportunity to learn what it looks like to marry together my heart for the restoration of families and the vision for church planting!

WANT TO BE APART OF MY JOURNEY?

I will be working with All Nations as a volunteer. I will need $1500 a month (for basic living expenses), as well as $7,000 in one time costs (plane ticket and rental car). I am currently working to save money; however, I am in great need of help from my family and friends! If you are interested in giving monthly while I am there or giving a one-time gift I would be forever grateful! (There are directions on the right side of this blog page for how to give! or email me: WhitneyElise211@gmail.com for questions).

ALSO, I am building my prayer team! I am desperate for your prayers and intercession! Please email me (WhitneyElise211@gmail.com) if you would like to join!

much love,

whit

family. (and an update on my plans!)

2010-09-12T09:14:00.000-07:00

"God sets the lonely in families,

he leads forth the prisoners with singing..."

psalm 68:6

I felt like I should share this journal entry from this morning. This sums up what the Lord has been showing me that he has really ingrained on my heart...

"I am so stirred for the children who are broken and who will never know their true worth and identity. For families who are filled with pain and strife. For women who don't know what it means to be loved in tender care and faithfulness.

OH Lord my heart cries out...

to create family...

inviting the lost, confused, hurt and ravaged into the greatest love there is, into the resting place of the Lord, into his home. And even more inviting them into his FAMILY.

We are not merely visitors in His home, finding reprieve from the harsh world around us in a comfortable, warm house. We are actually invited into His family, as if we had been their since our birth.

Receiving FULL RIGHTS as sons and daughters. We are invited to partake in every aspect of family life...we get to have every privilege and benefit...

BUT only if we come...

take off our shoes, come into his dwelling, curl up into the Father's lap and RECEIVE IT.

get comfy. we get to stay.

we get to be full members of God's family, the greatest family in the history of the universe.

the most loving, caring, joyful, compassionate gracious, and strong Father is begging us to come in, to leave our muck and mire at the door, take a warm shower, curl up at his feet, receive his love and affection and stay a while...forever, in fact.

that is the cry of my heart.

inviting the overlooked, unloved, hurting, desperate, and lonely into God's family. inviting them to come dwell with the Father all their days, to come and find out who they actually are and who they were created to be! OH what comfort, healing, joy and rest there is in the Father's love!

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

1 John 3:1

THE PLANS:

I am planning on heading back to Cape Town, South Africa in January for a year internship with All Nations! I am beyond confident that this is the next step that the Lord has asked me to take in walking into the destiny he has for me. I feel my destiny will be marked by walking hand in hand with Jesus, calling out to the broken and hurting to come and find love, healing and purpose. To see children and families raised up and empowered. I will be interning under the Vulnerable Children (VC) program (which is a program that seeks out the most vulnerable children in Masiphumelele township. VC team members help to meet their basic needs through sponsorship, and also to support, advocate, and empower these families through discipleship, job training, education, etc.)

I will be give a more thorough update on my plans soon!

I hope everyone is doing well and that your lives are filled with love, joy and purpose!

MUCH love,

whit

a glorious journey indeed!

2010-07-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

A GLORIOUS journey, indeed!

well i am finally home from my five months in africa. and an incredible five months they were! when i left for cape town in february, i didn't expect that i would return home so changed. as i have been reflecting back over my time in africa i am overwhelmed with JOY because of how much the Father did in my heart and how much he has changed me. when i think back on my time one word keeps coming up to describe it: GLORIOUS. looking back all i can see is the Glory of God covering every second of my journey. and the good news is...no matter where our journey with the Lord takes us, he promises us that every step will be filled with his glory (his splendor and bliss), his goodness and his love. and let me tell you; my last five months were not easy. so many hard, hard moments that stretched me and pulled on my every weakness...but all i can say is it was so worth it. and as i look back on my journey, i thank God for every second because he was so near to me and has moved in my heart in ways i could have only have dreamed of! i am so in love with Jesus and i am so expectant of my life's journey with him!

when i created this blog i randomly chose the title "oh what a glorious journey." but little did i know how telling it would be of what the Lord would do in my heart. if i could chose one thing that the Lord solidified in my heart these past five months (and believe me there is an endless list to choose from) i would say that he has grown in me a deep assurance that i am my Beloved's and he is mine, and that i can fully trust him because he is taking me on a glorious journey!

here are some things that i have learned through being in CPx:

1.) i have been equipped. it has been a dream in my heart to be a part of a church planting movement...seeing disciples producing more disciples and simple churches planting more simple churches. a dynamic movement of God sweeping through a community, transforming MANY. a movement that is not dependent on me, but that will keep growing even after i leave. but i had NO idea how to do that. through what i learned in the teaching phase and then implementing it during outreach phase, i feel that tools, strategies and vision has been placed in my hands. i have seen even in just my two months in zim those dreams in my heart coming to pass! Praise the Lord! i can't wait to grow more as i live out what i have been taught!

2.) the strategy is simple. during my time in Zim the Lord taught me about the power in coming alongside people where they are to help them encounter Jesus for themselves and be transformed by relationship with him. the stategy is simple because God is more powerful than we can imagine. when people truly begin walking with him they can not help but be transformed by the love, goodness, kindness and grace of Jesus. Holy Spirit really is the best teacher and God really is the redeemer. if i can get out of people's way and simply point them to relationship with God transformation really does happen! i can trust that God will do all the hard work :) the best part is that i really did learn methods and strategies to help me introduce people to a lasting relationship with God...pretty sweet!

3.) i am secure in Jesus. a verse the Lord gave me to sum up one of the main things he did in my heart is psalms 62:1-2 "my soul finds rest in God alone; he alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress i will never be shaken." i have walked away from my time in africa so confident in who God is and who i am in him. i have never been so sure of the truth that i am important to God. the Lord has taken away all my fears, doubts and confusion and has given me a deep, sweet assurance in his love and goodness! my soul is at rest in Jesus!

4.) Jesus is the best companion. i use to be so dependent on people for their company, for my energy (i am an extreme extravert!), approval, and so much more. i had a deep need for people and a fear that i would be alone. because of my time in zim as the only single girl, i found that Jesus really is my best friend! i learned to take all my thoughts, fears, hurts, joys to him first, to process with holy spirit first and to find my acceptance in him alone! WOW. lets just say this will change a person if you start living like this! my source is in God alone!

5.) i found the key to life. (aren't you excited :) my newly adopted principle for a living a life FULL of joy, victory, and great fruit is: keep your heart alive to God. i call this the Cinderella principle. (ha cinderella is my favorite!) if you look at the story of Cinderella, she lived an oppressive and sad life. she lost everything. YET, she did not shut down her heart. she did not live from a place of bitterness and anger. she lived with great JOY, embracing life, caring for those around her, and she continued to DREAM! this is the key, (in good times and in hard, but especially in the hard times) to keep our hearts ALIVE to what God is doing and saying; choosing joy and choosing to believe God and his promises. continuing to look to him and to DREAM with him! lets choose to ALWAYS keep our hearts alive to what the good, good Father is saying and doing!

well i have said a lot, but there is still SO much more to write about! here are some pictures because they are worth a thousand words, right?!

Victoria Falls...one of the seven wonders of the world!

Me and one of my little loves, Beyonce. She would always come and snuggle up on my lap during the bible studies we had at her home.

Me and two of "the market ladies," as they call themselves! The Lord led us to this amazing group of women who work in the locals market. The Father loves them SO much!

Me and baby Leah. She is the daughter of one of our dear friends, Future.

The girls of the zim team standing in our gorgeous backyard.

We are wearing zambias (the locals' skirt of choice.)

There is a baby on my back! This is how ALL the women carry their children. oh goodness, it was a bit terrifying having a two month old baby tied on my back using a blanket!

My walking partner, Shannon and me hanging out with some elephants that were right outside one of the markets we visited a lot!

Mama Alice! We loved spending time with our african mama. We met her randomly one day and she was miraculously healed by God from chronic back pain right on the spot! We formed a wonderful friendship with mama! She is so funny!

Baptism and child dedication at our friend's home!

Chipo's place...one of our favorite bible study groups!

My roommates! Reunited after two months of being apart during outreach phase!

Oh what joy!

This is truly my family in Africa!

mike and kalyn arndt (my african parents) and my sisters from norman, rach and amanda :)

WE LOVE SOUTH AFRICA! back in cape town for debrief. we went to visit the world cup fan zone in down town cape town during our free day! The atmosphere was charged and everyone was so excited for the world cup festivities! so fun!

My roommates dressed in red, white and blue! About to go watch the USA soccer game at a restaurant with some friends!

I AM HOME! a ton of my friends and family were waiting at the airport to welcome me home! i am beyond blessed!

i want to say one more time...

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!

Thank you to each and every one of you that have journeyed with me these past five months. i am so blessed to have people who carry me with their prayers, financial support, encouraging words and love. none of this would have been possible without all of you... so THANK YOU! may the Lord richly bless you!

MUCH love,

whit

Mwari Wakanaka! (God is good!)

2010-06-03T02:35:00.000-07:00

Life is wonderful here in Zimbabwe! We are staying in the community we are working in. We are staying with the Tandi family, a beautiful family who lives in Chinotimba. They are wonderful and so gracious, and have welcomed us with open arms! Things were exciting here right from the beginning. We had a special visitor our very first night! As we were preparing dinner, we suddenly heard Munya calling us to come outside…as we went running out of the house we saw that right across the street was an ELEPHANT! Our first elephant sighting and only feet from our home! Soon people from down the street came running, yelling and banging pots to get the elephant to leave (we have learned that the community does not like the elephants hanging around because they trample their gardens and eat their trees. But we sure do love them! Since then we have seen several more! And most nights we hear the people down the road yelling and banging their pots and pans running the elephants away!) Since then we have experienced a lot of the African wildlife here. One day I saw a herd of 9 elephants crossing the road, including three tiny baby elephants! We daily see baboons and warthogs roaming around town!
I really enjoy life here, living in the community and adapting to the way of life of the people. It has been so fun to become part of the community and culture, such as, learning how to cook Zimbabwean dishes, shopping at the local markets and washing my clothes by hand! I have also adopted some of the Zimbabwean fashions, such as the colorful cloth that the women wrap around their waists as skirts and getting my hair braided! I also have two Zimbabwean names that I go by here (one for each of the languages spoken here.) It really feels that our team has become integrated into the community and the way of life here in Chinotimba. No matter where we go, whether it is running to a tuck shop in Chinotimba or walking down the main street in town, we are sure to run into many of the friends we have met here (you can always hear people calling out to us with our Zim names!) This week our whole team was invited over for dinner to one of the homes that we have been having bible study with. The girls on our team spent the evening with them cooking, and then rest of the team came over later to enjoy the meal together. It was so amazing to get to spend time with the women in the home preparing the dinner. After dinner as the girls were cleaning up, we broke into an African dance party! All the women and kids in the home were packed into the small kitchen dancing for about an hour! What JOY!

The ground is so soft here and people are so hungry to know more about God. People are experiencing God in powerful ways! Entire households are coming to know the Lord and people who have just started following Jesus are taking the good news to their friends and neighbors! God is answering our prayers so quickly, such as many people are being healed and are getting jobs! I have dozens and dozens of stories I could tell you! Here is just one:
Before our team left for Zimbabwe in April, one of our friends from CPx gave us a word that he had received from the Lord. He told us that we would meet a woman named Eunice and that she would have a problem with her right leg. Since being in Chinotimba we have kept our eyes open for Eunice, but had not met even one woman named Eunice. Last Saturday morning my friend, Shannon, and I were planning on spending the day in the locals market with some friends we have met and hopefully meeting other people hungry to know God. Before we left, I felt the Lord say that we were to meet a women dressed in all lime green. When we got to the market, we began walking around. We stopped by a group of women selling (one was wearing all lime green) and began talking with them. After talking with them for a while we realized we didn’t know their names. The women in all lime green told us her name was Eunice! We then asked her if she happened to have pain in her right leg. Eunice got very serious and asked, “How did you know that?” She then told us that she had been in a car accident a year ago, injuring her right leg and that she has only began walking again a couple of months ago. We then told her about how God told us we would meet her when we were in Cape Town! She became so excited and began calling out to everyone around her. People began gathering around from all over, trying to listen to what she was telling them. They wanted to know more! We then were able to tell them that God sees them and loves them. Shannon shared her story with them and we looked at some scripture with them as well. They were so eager to know more and wanted us to come back another time to read the bible with them! This past Saturday, we went back to have a bible study with them. Eunice told us that her leg was feeling much better! (We are continuing to believe that God has a full healing for her!) We then spent time with the group of women who sell in that area and studied the parable of the prodigal son. The women were so hungry and open, and were really teaching one another. One of the women told us that she had fallen away from the Lord and after reading this scripture, she wants to start following him again. We told them that they could pray and read the Word together any time they wanted. They then told us that none of them had bibles. That morning the Lord told me to bring one of our extra bibles, so we were able to give them that bible! They were so excited and wanted us to write in the front of the bible that it was the “Market Ladies Bible!” They said that now they can study together every day! For many of them it was their first time to read the bible for themselves. We walked back by them later that day and they were reading the bible we gave them! We are believing for a movement to be started in the market of people experiencing the Lord for themselves and sharing with one another!
Me and the beautiful waterfalls!

Here is a picture of my friend’s nephew. He was in the middle of a bath! He looked so cute sitting in the bucket!

Here is me and Shannon with our friend's five daughters! We love this family so much!

Our friend with the five daughters taught me and shannon how to kill a chicken! Oh dear!

My friend Shannon sitting in our friend’s home.

This is me sitting in front of our home in Chinotimba!

I am learning so much here and the Lord is doing so much in my heart as well! He is really teaching me what it means to find my joy and contentment in him alone. It has been a really sweet time of growing deeper in love with Jesus and learning more and more my identity as the Lord’s Beloved!

Thank you to each of you who have given me so much love and support! I could not be here without you! If you would like to read more about my time in Zim, here is the CPx blog site: http://www.cpxoutreach.posterous.com). All the All Nations teams have posted to this blog, so here are the titles of the blog postings for my Zimbabwe team! (We are Filled with Joy!, Mwari Vedu Vanonzwa Vanhu! (God hears his people!), Mwari Wakanaka! (God is good!),
Pressing Into the More!, The harvest is plentiful in Zim!) Enjoy!

MUCH love and joy,

whit

some pics and then to ZIM!

2010-04-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

It is the night before i leave for ZIMBABWE! i will be heading out tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM on a 50 hour bus ride to my new home for the next 2 months! i will be going to zimbabwe with my team of 8 people (we lovingly refer to ouselves as "dream team oh 10 :). here is a pic of the team!

things i am excited about:

1.) staying in the community of the people i am serving! we get to stay in chinotimba with a family who has opened up their home to us! it is my dream to stay in the same place as the people i am serving because i really believe in living life, fully immersed with people! so i am pumped!

2.) roughing it :) we will be doing laundry in buckets, cooking local food (our food budget is tiny to ensure this!), and eating zim delicacies, such as, catipillars! yum! i love adventures like this!

4.) seeing three new countries in africa! we will be traveling through namibia and zambia! i love traveling so i am actually a bit excited for this cross continent road trip :)

5.) experiencing new places in the Lord's heart as i spend time among a new people group! every nation displays different aspects of the Lord's character because he made every nation! so i can't wait to receive more of the Lord's heart for his people in zim!

we really treasure your prayers! here are a few things we would love prayer for!

1.) safety (and sanity) for our LONG bus trip!

2.) unity for our team; that we would with joy lay down our lives for each other daily.

3.) that i would receive a deep LOVE for the people of zim

4.) contentment in being alone (i am the only single girl going and as an extreme extrovert i am

nervous about having my own room and not having other girls to constantly process with!)

5.) a verse the Lord has really given me for zim is isaiah 62:

"For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. 2 The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. 3 You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 4 No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. 5 As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you...12 They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the LORD; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted."

God is a restorer and redeemer. He has been speaking to our team that he longs to restore zimbabwe. that zim would no longer be called deserted and desolate but instead, the Redeemed of the Lord and a Holy People! Praise the Lord! i am filled with joy that i get to bring the good news of Jesus' hope and redemption with me to the nations!

while in zimbabwe, i am in charge of communication for my team. i will be posting blogs on behalf of my team on a new blog spot (all the AllNations teams will be posting to one website). i will probably not post to this blog as much so if you would like to follow my adventures in zim you can visit:

http://www.cpxoutreach.posterous.com

(there will be a link on the right side of the page where you can click on ZIMBABWE).

but before i go...here are some pictures of my time in cape town for your enjoyment!

Incredible view in the wetlands (this is the area of masi a lot of the families and people we have been meeting with live.) i love this place!

These are the amazing women that i spent my time in masi with! (from left: julianna, vovo, and nicole). they are incredible and such a blessing to my life.

here are some of my loves at kids club! they are so beautiful! (umhle!)

i have many more pictures but internet is a bit slow here...i will post much more when i return home in july :) i really miss everyone from home! i would LOVE to hear from you all! i have new email because it is difficult to connect to hotmail here... here is the new email: whitneyelise211@gmail.com

MANY MANY MANY BLESSINGS and MUCH LOVE!

whit

life is good in south africa :)

2010-04-17T07:56:00.001-07:00

Hello friends and family!

I have much to tell! It has been an exciting past couple of weeks full of fun breakthroughs! I had some really good days in Masi last week. On Thursday, we went to visit this guy who we have been meeting with weekly. I will share a quick testimony about him! A few weeks ago, we were meeting with him in his shack reading the word and sharing with one another. During our time with him I kept having pain shooting from my hip to my calf in my right leg. I never have this pain so I took note that it might be from the Lord. (Sometimes the Lord will give people pain for a minute that someone else has so they can know to pray for that pain in the other person. This is called a word of knowledge.) At the end of our time, we asked him if he needed prayer for anything. He began sharing that he has leg pain and began pointing to his right leg in the exact place I had been having “pain.” I began freaking out and telling him that I had been having pain there and that the Lord wanted to heal him! We explained about the word of knowledge and he was getting so excited! We prayed for him and declared healing. He told us it hurts him at work when he stands for a while and that he couldn’t tell if it was healed yet. WELL, when we went back the next week he told us that he had been healed and that he no longer had leg pain!!! Praise the Lord! Well as we were on the way to his house last week his neighbor stops us and pulls us into her shack and shuts the door. She began speaking to us in a hushed, serious tone and was barely looking at us. She begins telling us that she has a secret that no one knows. She begins pouring her heart out...that she is HIV positive and that she stopped treatment because some people found out and were making fun of her. She shared that her life is a mess, she can't get a job and she can't stop drinking. She told us that she has seen Vovo, who is a girl from Masi who began following Jesus and is now in CPx, and others in "our church" from Masi and that she sees the way their lives have changed and that she wants that! She told us that she has never followed Jesus, but that she wants to start!!! So we shared the God story with her and I had a word for her from psalm 18. She told us that she wants us to come back and read the bible with her and help her follow Jesus. This whole time she was so serious and as we were leaving she was hugging us and smiling! She was so giddy and was introducing us to all her friends and family who were outside! It is so good to follow Jesus! His grace really does melt all our guilt and shame, and his love and power really do heal and transform lives! Ndaba ismnandi! (good news!) Later as we were walking down the street, we ran into a man we had randomly prayed for the week before. We had prayed that he would get a job. He called us over and told us that in the next few days after we prayed he got a job! There are so many testimonies of God’s provision and healing in Masi…he is bringing his Kingdom to earth because he loves his children! Praise the Lord!

So I have been living in south Africa for 2 ½ months now. I really love living in another country and culture…it is always an adventure! But there are definitely so many fun cultural/communication breakdowns every day. So often we will have to stop and try figure out what in the world the other person is trying to say! One really fun cultural difference we have come across recently is that in Xhosa culture it is a good thing for a woman to gain weight. So one of our African sisters told my roommate (with excitement and good intentions) that she was looking big! She came back to our room mortified that she had just been called fat! We had to do some major debriefing to help her figure out that it was meant to be a nice thing! Ha! I have found it is always an adventure living cross culturally and I am loving it! For your enjoyment, here is a list of some commonly used phrases here that I am learning to use!

queue: a line you stand in
how's it?: what's going on?/how are you doing?
is it?: really?
sort it out: take care of it/figure it out
just now: in a little while
now: in a minute
now now: right this second
pitch: come/show up
top it off: refill
long: tall (so you would say: that boy is long for his age).
crockery: dishes
chips: fries
crisps: potato chips
biscuit: cookie
scone: biscuit
crumpit: pancake
a sweet: any type of candy or desert
takkies: sneakers
hooting: honking (as in a car)
robot: traffic light
windy house: a shack
kreche: preschool

fun facts from last week:
1. I ate sheep intestines for the first time! Ladies cook them on the side of the road in Masi and sell them...so my friend Vovo bought some to share with us the other day. OH MY! Lets just say it was verrrry interesting...and very chewy!
2. I saw my first dolphin last weekend! On my day of last week, my roommate, Rachel, and I took a taxi to fish hoek beach. We saw something swimming around in the distance...at first we thought it might be a shark but then i saw it jump up out of the water...it was a dolphin! I love dolphins and I have never seen one in the wild, so i was sooo happy :) dream fulfilled!

i leave for zimbabwe in 5 days! i am so excited! i will write more soon about our upcoming trip.
MUCH LOVE!

whit

healing the land!

2010-04-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

“…if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven

and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

2 chronicles 7:14

I want to tell you all about my favorite class session so far in CPx. The week before last the focus of class was spiritual warefare. First, I just have to say that I feel so blessed to be in classes taught by Floyd McClung (the founder of AllNations). He is incredible...I could sit in his classes forever! I just want to honor him and say that if you haven’t read his books you really should! Anyway, our Wednesday morning class was literally one of the most epic experiences I have ever had in my life. That past Monday the leader of this neo-nazi white supremacy political party was bludgeoned and hacked to death on his farm by two of his black workers...yikes so intense and sad. He has in previous years served 5 years in prison for attempting to murder one of his black workers. Also at the same time one of the leaders in the anc party (african national congress...black party, currently in power) has been singing this hate song that translates to kill the boers (white farmers). needless to say there is crazzzzzy tension in the country and people have been really fearing that war was going to break out between the whites and blacks. So Floyd does this teaching on Daniel from the bible and his strategy/spiritual warefare tactics...the main message of God is in charge and that he has authority over all kingdoms. He sits above all the things that are happening in our earthly realm and in the spiritual realm and we have to battle from his perspective...sitting with him in heaven...letting him first give peace to our hearts in the midst of circumstances like this in order to hear what he is really saying over a situation. He then asked us to go and spend time seeking God's heart for south africa. He then began second session asking us to share what the Lord was saying. This is when things got REAL crazy. An Afrikaaner girl in our class, suretha, began sharing (afrikaaners are the whites or "boers;” the party that was responsible for apartheid, the oppression of the black and coloured people, was mostly afrikaaners.) She says that the Lord was speaking to her in the verse in Revelations that says we will overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. So she told us that she feels she needs to share a testimony. She begins sharing all about her family line and about her grandparents and parents...she is sobbing, sharing about her love for her culture...that her family sought God but that they were so deceived by Satan...they were lambs in wolves clothes. She began testifying how God saved her from the deception and crying out for her people to be saved. She began repenting for her people and declaring who God has called them to be. After that it was a floodgate...people begin confessing and repenting for hatred they held in their hearts for whites or blacks, or south africans in general. People sharing how the Lord was revealing to them that you cannot intercede for a country you do not love. Others were sharing visions and pictures for south africa. One girl asked the Lord how we were to come against this hate song and the spirit behind it. He gave her Isaiah 42 talking about singing a song of praise. So we decided to sing a song of praise together. Floyd had the five white afrikaaners in our class to come up to the front and they formed a circle and we all gathered around them. We began singing the song, "Our God is an awesome God." and we just began worshiping and praising God. It was so powerful...everyone is crying out and declaring who God is over this nation. I just began looking around thinking how much I LOVE these people...literally they are my family here...I can't explain the love I have in my heart for them. The Lord gave me this picture of heaven and I saw people from every nation running around, laughing and playing, so in love with God and so in love with each other. Children of one Father. I was overcome with joy as the Lord began speaking to me about how he longs for heaven to come to earth and seeing, as we are seeking the Kingdom of God here, how this aspect of children under one Father is translated to earth. It is so unbelievably rare the way the AllNations family functions in south africa. Whites and blacks are maybe friends some times...but we are really family...no one thinks of color, we embrace one another’s cultures, loving and honoring the things that each culture brings! It is soooo beautiful! So then Floyd had us begin sharing things we are thankful for about the afrikaaner people...so people begin speaking these things over them and praying blessings over the afrikaaners. (since apartheid was overthrown, they were thrown out of political office and have really been stripped of so much, leaving them with a lot of shame.) After this one of the afrikaaner guys, Johanes, shared that he has never one time in his life heard anyone speak a good thing over the afrikaaner people, he has only heard the shameful things spoken over them. Floyd shared that nothing breaks a hard heart like a tender word. I just began to realize the power in seeking and calling out the gold in people and in declaring life rather than death. It was truly such an act of forgiveness. That is the way of the Kingdom! So then Johanes, who is this really intense guy, ended our time with a prophetic act...he told us that he was going to prophetically give william wallaces dying speech and we were to celebrate and declare victory after. so he yells FREEDOM just like william wallace in braveheart...there was a pause....and then everyone just went nuts and were shouting and jumping up and down, cheering, chanting VICTORY...i am like crying and laughing because it is so intense and beautiful. Seriously, I believe so much ground was taken and so many strongholds were broken over the country in that one session of class. It was not even planned, but the Holy Spirit led us into this time of healing and intercession for South Africa! It was soooo beautiful! Yes!

God is so good and so faithful! He invites us to come and sit with him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). That is the place of victory, rest and joy, no matter what our circumstances are! Praise God that he invites us to sit with him! So seek the Lord today and ask him to raise you up to see the way he sees you and your circumstance from heaven’s perspective! Amen! I am praying that you and your family are doing well and filled with much joy and many blessings!

MUCH LOVE FROM AFRICA,

whit

my comings and goings...

2010-04-05T00:28:00.000-07:00

A few updates, stories and pics from my life recently! I will post some more soon! I haven’t updated in a while, so I have so much to write about!

We met a group of about 8 girls who are all around the age of 15 or 16. We have been meeting with them every Thursday. They are all friends and most of them stay on the same street in Masi. They are so fun and bring so much joy to my heart! It is so fun watching their interactions, seeing how each week they are opening up more and more. But there is a reality that strikes my heart every time I hang out with them. They are victims of a continuous cycle that plagues the people of Masi. At the age of 15 one of the girls in the group already has a child and another is pregnant. One of the biggest strongholds of the community is the lack of fathers. The vast majority of the young women I meet already have one or more children, and yet it is extremely rare for the fathers to be in the picture. The majority of people have not been raised by fathers who speak worth and identity into their lives. The women do not know how much they are worth. So many women in Masi live with verbal and physical abuse, as well as, rape. In a nearby township, statistics say that at least half of the women have been raped. My heart cries out for these young women, that they would know how valuable they are. I long for them to know the greatness they were made for. For them to have men in their lives who will protect, provide and love them well. For their children to grow up with a father, and in a safe and healthy family.
“You hear O Lord the desire of the afflicted, you encourage them and listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed.” Psalm 10:17-18 My heart really does cry out for the fatherless and the women who are so oppressed by this cycle. My heart is so stirred to see restoration of families in Africa. It is so needed and so near to the Father’s heart! He loves families!

Lately I have been running into a lot old friends that I have met the last three times in cape town! The other day I was getting an ice cream cone at McDonalds near our house. As I got to the front of the line, I noticed that the girl at the cashier looked so familiar. She looked up and saw me and her face lit up. I realized that I had met her one of my previous times in Masi! It was so exciting to get to reconnect with her! She told me that after we had prayed for her to get a job, she got a job at McDonalds! (Unemployment is unbelievably high in South Africa, so most people we meet ask us to pray for a job.) She also told me that she started a tech program and is taking classes! Praise God! He has a hope and a future for his children. Since then I have run into her in Masi… I love that I have been able to invest in this community and that the connections I have made here in the past are so lasting!

One of the joys of my life is the weekly kids club that we put on for the Vulnerable Children kids. Last week, after we played games in an open field, we were coming back to the house were we hold the kids club, we were walking with a group of about 40 children. They were all singing and dancing in the streets in unison all the way back to the house. I have never wanted my video camera so much than in that moment. The streets were filled with joy, dancing and the sweet sound of children…people were peeking their heads out of their houses to see what was happening. The Lord many times as given me the same vision for Masi: his people singing and dancing in the streets, freed from their chains of oppression and filled with his joy and hope! In that moment watching those kids, I caught a glimpse of that vision the Lord has for Masi. It was such a beautiful moment and I know I will never forget it! Here is a pic of the children listening to a story at kids club! They are my joy!

I have found that Easter is a much bigger holiday here than in the states. People begin celebrating and traveling to be with family starting on Palm Sunday. Here is a pic of a group from the Zion church parading through the streets of Masi, singing and preaching as they go!

Here is a pic of my roommates in our backyard! (From left: Me! Amanda, Nicole (from florida) and Rachel).

So a fun tidbit for you in closing… I am officially AFRICAN! I received a Xhosa name last week! My new name is Bubele, which means kindness or friendliness. (Name meanings are really important in Xhosa culure, which I love!) We met a dear woman named Irene, a fun, joyful mama who is so hungry for the Kingdom. She is everything you would imagine an African Mama to be! On our last visit, we were just talking and having tea with her and she ended up giving us Xhosa names! It has been really funny introducing myself with an African name to people in Masi and seeing their confused faces! Ha!

I treasure your prayers so much! Here are some things you can be praying for!
-Teaching phase: The Lord would use my remaining three weeks in Masi to see long lasting fruit in the people I have met and am pouring into! Also pray that all the things I have learned/am learning will be imprinted on in my life.
-Outreach Phase: I would continue to receive the Lord’s heart and dreams over Zimbabwe, as well as, pray for unity for our team!
-Future plans: Direction for my next step after completing CPx.

-Financial provision: I am still in need of funds in order to complete my last tuition payment for CPx. Please pray for provision! And if you feel led to give towards my last payment (which is about $500), you would truly be an answer to prayers! (*See below for details.)

MUCH LOVE and MANY BLESSINGS!

whit

(* If you would like to sow into my last tuition payment, you can send checks to 10513 S. 86th E. Pl. Tulsa, Ok 74133. Checks can be made payable to Whitney Caldwell. Thanks!)