new website!

i have moved my blog to this new website!

http://withlovefromwhitney.wordpress.com/

thanks for joining me on this journey!

abundant

    "the harvest is PLENTIFUL 

               but the workers are few..."  Luke 10:2

plentiful: existing in or yielding great quantities; abundant

yep. we experienced this plentiful harvest last month when the team from norman community came to visit.  they came for a just one short week.  they hit the ground running full force into the harvest fields of the wetlands, the poorest part of masi that is often neglected by workers.  and the harvest abounded.  the Lord was SO gracious.  as we went out in small teams everyday the Lord led us to hungry people. people starving to know hope and love and purpose and healing and provision and freedom.  and we had all that and more to give.  we gave them Jesus.  so many received him with joy!  many were healed.  even more got jobs.  hearts were touched and lives were changed.  all in one short week!  even now the new local believers who went around with the team as translators are following up with the people who responded to Jesus during that week.  i got to go with a girl i have been discipling to meet with a house full of women the team met who all gave their lives to begin following Jesus.  they have met the Living God and are laying down everything to receive him.  it is powerful to sit with a room full of women who are eating up as fast as they can the word of God, the Bread that satisfies.  they have been touched by the Lover of their souls and are beginning the sweet journey of following in his ways.  Glorious.

what  JOY to be a part of this harvest.  it is plentiful everywhere.  not just in africa.  are you running into the harvest fields?

the harvest is ready and waiting, so...GO!  

its always worth it.  because the Lamb is SO worthy.

LYLASFFFF...

sneak peak into best friend time :)

 

women.

we are His daughters...the apples of His eye...His favorites :)

last night we crammed into vovo's shack with the women's house church to share a meal and our hearts together.  it was wonderful.  i feel so honored to share life with these vibrant, fiery, strong, beautiful african women.  i love girl time.  i absolutely love it.  there is nothing like getting a room of women together, dishing girly stories (like "sooo how did you two meet?"), laughing and laughing, sharing our hearts, connecting deeply...i thrive in these moments!  last night was glorious.  listening to each woman share her story of grace & redemption found in Jesus.  the spontaneous songs that arose out of genuine gratitude that could not be contained.  witnessing an older mama speaking life over the youngest of the group, a 20 year old who has been on her own since age 16.  hearing this mama, the girl's neighbor, tell her how proud she was of her and the choices she has made, speaking truth and destiny over her life as tears rolled down their cheeks.  FAMILY.  i love the Kingdom of God.  i love His family.  i love that this girl is not alone, but a daughter in this glorious family.  


and how amazing that my best friend since the age of 6 could be there last night.  my worlds intersecting.  what a dream :)

do you know my name?

i am a woman of many names.  i don't know if its my love for language or how deeply i love other cultures, but every nation have lived in i have been given a name by a local friend...and they just seem to stick.  these names become a part of me.  so its funny to me that so many people in my life don't know my other names.  so its about time that you do!

if you come to masi with me you won't ever hear anyone calling me "whitney."  you will hear:
nontsikelelo (or ntsiki for short).  it means blessing.

and if you come with me to chinotimba, zimbabwe you will hear:
chipo.  it means talent or gift.

i have always loved names and name meanings.  i could spend hours on babynames.com...and i have.  i love my many names!

i am in love with a ganster.

well several gansters actually.

let me just tell you this. Jesus LOVES gansters. i know this for a fact. he is not intimidated by the fact that they are addicted to drugs and steal from people everyday. he is not overwhelmed by the knives they carry or the fact that they use them...often. they are his sons. the ones he created in their mothers’ wombs. his heart aches for them to come and receive their place in his house...sons dearly loved.

something is happening amongst the gansters in masi. they are coming one by one, being transformed by the love of their Papa God. in each of the different spheres of the gangs, He is lifting out his sons, binding their wounded hearts, freeing them from their chains and igniting their hearts to help their ganster friends to find the same.

*sipho is one of these gansters. oh how my heart is bursting with love for this boy.

sipho is 18 years old. after being abandoned by his mother as a baby, he was raised in a home where he was not wanted or cared for, with alcoholism and verbal abuse as his norm. because of this, he was driven to life on the streets. he joined a group of gansters, and began doing drugs and stealing to support his habits. he dropped out of school and spent all of his time with these gansters. to the world, this boy was without hope and a future. but God had more in store for him. after getting into a knife fight with his aunt’s boyfriend, sipho was taken in by his neighbor. this man is a Jesus follower with a heart to reach his community for God’s kingdom, especially the gansters. under his loving care, sipho has met Jesus. he has completely left drugs and life on the streets, and he is now back in high school. sipho wants to tell anyone who will listen about how Jesus has changed his life. he has lived his life longing to be loved, seen, cared for. he searched for it in drugs & gang life, but was left empty and hard of heart. Papa knew. he knew his son. he has reached down and pulled him out because he delights in him. his son is home safe & sound. and we are all rejoicing!

*mandla is the other ganster that has stolen my heart. i love this child.

i have shared his story before. but i just can’t get enough of this boy. his hard little heart is thirsty for love. all he has known has been the harsh realities of this world; rejection, death, neglect, fear, pain. an unstable home life & the murder of his brother drove him to life on the streets. the world says he is destined for destruction. but Papa says he is destined for the abundance of his house; receiving the full rights of sonship. and He is doing it. He is drawing mandla. its not an easy road. but God is not afraid of the process. he is not discouraged by setbacks. his promises will prevail. (and he is teaching me this over and over.) i have seen that a little love goes a long way. walls of hostility crumble under these words: “i believe in you.” with every kind word, every minute spent getting to know him, every effort to help him...his heart is melting and the strongholds are weakening. i got a note from him the other day that said, “I love you nontsikelelo. you are the best.” yep. he has stolen my heart. this sweet child. Papa’s treasured one.

God loves gansters. for sure.

tuesday photo drop?

its been a while...i want to write a blog post right now telling of the REALLY fun stories from my last few weeks, but my sleepy eyes just won't stay open and my head is cloudy (which always happens past 10 pm). so hear are some pics so long (south african phrase meaning: in the meantime).

enjoy :)


preach it brotha.


i can NOT get enough of this sweet face. but don't let the angel face fool you...she is a fire ball.


JOY. i love these boys.


the two newest members on our VC team...vovo and lily! :)


sleeping beauty.

lion king

i had such a glorious african moment a few weeks ago...

i was sitting in masi with a friend when my phone rang (of course my ringtone is"circle of life" from the lion king). much to my surprise my friend, vovo, began translating the song...IT IS IN XHOSA/ZULU, the very language i am learning here! lets just say i was FREAKING out. we decided we must watch it asap.

that friday vovo & i, with two of our zimbabwean friends, gathered in a room in masi and watched the lion king. so much was rising up in my heart as i sat with these beautiful african people that have become dear friends to me, watching this movie that stirred in my heart as a child an intrigue to know the vibrant continent of africa. glorious.



i love africa.

siyabulela kakhulu!

translation: we are SO thankful!

one of our favorite things to do these days at kids club is our "thankfulness wall." every week the kids think of the best thing that happened to them that week/something they are thankful for. they then come to the board and draw a picture or write that thing.

thankfulness fills our lives to overflowing!

what are you thankful for today?

new tradition?

i follow a blog in which every friday she does a "friday photo dump." i have a ton of pics on my phone, so i have decided to join in on the photo dump this week. hmm maybe it will become a tradition, but not sure how faithful i am at taking pics. we'll see! so here is my THURSDAY PHONE DUMP and a glimpse into my life this week...

He's a miracle God.

"My God can do it, yes, He can do it. He’s a pillar of fire, consuming fire. We can never understand him, He’s a miracle God!”

i love this song. it is a liberian song that we sing at all nations a lot. i love the picture it paints of God...the mighty, fierce, miracle God!

i experienced a miracle the other day...

last thursday my friend and i were driving back from the airport from dropping our other friend off. as we were driving down the highway my engine (of my car i just bought) started cutting out! thankfully, we were slowed down right by an exit. so we got off and literally coasted downhill into a gas station! the manager of the station checked all the levels and a said my car was fine. so i started my car and it turned on...oh my so here we go again. we get back on the road and few minutes later, it cuts out again. this time in traffic. i get the engine going long enough to turn a corner and get up onto a curb. OH MY! we are in cape town and it is about 6 o’clock. what are we to do. my friend gets the hood open. so there we are standing on the side of the road, staring at the engine as i am fanning it...maybe the engine is overheated? oh dear! i make eye contact with a man driving the opposite way. he motions to ask if we need help. umm sure?? he comes to help (sent by God!) and, lo and behold, his daughter has the same car as me and he works on it all the time! he begins doing a full diagnostic for about 20 minutes. he can find NOTHING wrong with it..but the engine continues to not work. i felt so annoyed at this point, because i knew in my heart that this is a stupid attack of the enemy. so as i am sitting in my car, i started praying-- binding the schemes of the enemy and releasing heaven over my car! a little while later, the man gets excited and asks me to try turning the car on one more time. i do and IT WORKS! perfectly. he showed me that the choke was a bit sticky and hadn’t gone back into place completely and so was letting in just a bit of air. it was just a tiny little piece in the engine and he pushed it into place and voila! a perfect engine with NOTHING wrong! oh thank you Papa God! i began thanking this man profusely!



as we began driving down the highway in my perfectly running car, i became overwhelmed...i have nothing to fear! my Father is the miracle God! there is nothing he can’t do! he is VICTORIOUS over the schemes of the evil one and he loves to deliver his children! turn to Him, press into his victory, trust him with a steadfast heart! what joy as we drove all the way home- my car filled with the presence of the Lord, victorious shouting, songs of thankfulness and hearts filled with joy and laughter!

i am so thankful for His miracles! and how much he loves me.

second chances.

maybe you have already heard this story, but it continues to melt my heart. this is a story about a boy and a God whose specialty is redemption. a story about a boy who the world had forgotten, but whose God was pursuing with lovingkindness. this is a story about Mandla*, a 14 year old boy who has seen the worst of life. growing up in poverty, fending for himself most his life because of a neglectful mother, experiencing the murder of his older brother, living on the streets with gansters... he has seen more than my eyes will ever see and more than my heart could bear.

last year when Mandla ran away and began living with the gansters we had to drop him from the Vulnerable Children program (in which i was his mentor) because his family had no contact with him and we had no way of locating him. but we did not give up on Mandla. we continued to pray for him and believe for a complete miracle in his life! in August we began to really contend and ask the Lord to restore him to his family. in September we found out that he had returned home and was living with his mother and sisters! since then we have seen such a change in Mandla. his neighbors have been telling us that he is no longer going out with his gangster friends and that he is very helpful around the property he lives.

he came to us and told us that he wants to go back to school! but when his mother went to register him they would not accept him because he had been expelled two years ago for drug use at school. we began speaking with the administrators, advocating for Mandla and testifying that he is truly changing and that we will support him. the administrators decided to admit him to school! we took Mandla to purchase a school uniform and supplies, and he began school the next day! It was such a beautiful experience to see him prepare to go back to school. i was so overwhelmed with thankfulness watching him pick out school supplies, proudly carry his full sack of new clothes for school and have so much fun just pushing around the shopping cart through the mall. i was so overwhelmed by it all and so thankful to be able to be a voice for the voiceless.

so a week after getting back into school, i received a phone call from Mandla’s school. he was in the principal's office and they needed me to come to the school. oh dear. he had skipped school and smoked marijuana. oh Lord! after spending several hours being sent to speak to practically every person in that school, Mandla was given a second chance! this child needs much, much more than being put back into a classroom with a nice uniform. he needs support, healing, love, time. so i began to ask the Lord for a plan. since then i have been spending a lot of time with him; i have pursued him like crazy. and he is melting. i see it. his sweet heart is emerging from behind all the hardness of life. he just needs to be loved, to know he is worth something, that he is seen and cared for. my friend, lucas (a local who is a part of All Nations), and i met with Mandla the other day to ask him how we can support him. he told us that he gets into trouble because he is bored and his neighbors are always drunk and influencing him. we started throwing out ideas: soccer team, helping us with kids clubs, starting a bible study with his friends. he was eating it up. he wanted all of it. he wants to be freed from his old life...he just needs people to walk with him.

i am thankful. i am thankful that this is the Jesus i follow. the One who meets the broken where they are, restoring them with his lovingkindness, and picking them up time and time again.

his love shatters our darkness and heals our hearts and draws us to life with him.

i am so in love with this Jesus! and so expectant for the miraculous in Mandla's life.

*name changed

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

Glory from a prison cell!

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.