back in south africa!

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!

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...

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!

"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!

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.

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!

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