a fresh commitment! and stories from my life.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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