abundant blessings: camp in africa

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

"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.

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!