Oh the Joys...

Wow, it has been an amazing week in the Cape! We have been helping with kids club every day this week, and oh what a blessing it has been!!! Monday and Wednesday we were at Mountain View, which is about a 15-20 minute walk through the community (amazing!!) from Ocean View, and Tuesday and today (Thursday here) we stayed at Ocean View. The kids are absolutely amazing. I loooove to be greeted by precious African kids racing down the street to jump into my arms. It is a precious, priceless moment. Yesterday and today, the kids decided to dog pile on Michelle, which is equally as amazing. Today before kids club started, several kids worked together to pick me up, and I thought that I was going to be thrown over a huge wall--that is how strong they are! So much fun!!! I wish I could describe each of these kids' faces...they are absolutely beautiful, crafted only in the image of God, and I can only imagine the depth of their stories.

Our mornings this week have been spent in four hours of lectures, followed in the evening after kids club by 1.5 more hours of lectures. We have packed a loooot into 4 days' lectures, and there have been some amazing discussions...lots to soak up and from which to learn! I am so blessed to be here on this trip. Not only am I blessed altogether to be in Cape Town and South Africa, I am further blessed by the amazing things God is doing here, and not to mention the great group that surrounds me. They are the happiest, most encouraging and uplifting people. I learn a lot from our professors, but I also learn a lot from my fellow students. They are an amazing blessing, and the trip would definitely not be the same without them.

As you know, my senior year of college is rapidly approaching, and along with it is coming the stress of figuring out what to do next! I am not really worried about it, but I am concerned and seeking. I want to change the world, I know that. And I am called to career missions, so I know that also. I have also been called to "incarnational missions" (I learned that term this week that applies to my calling 2 years ago), which means living among and like the people (my calling comes from John 1..check it out!). There are tons of opportunities and doors open wide for needs that need to be met in the world; I just need to pray for discernment about which avenue is the one for me. Do I go to seminary right after graduation, or do I wait a little while? And regardless of that, in what should I major for my graduate studies? What will be most effective in changing the world? "Your calling lies at the point at which your greatest desires meet the world's greatest needs." But what are the world's greatest needs? They are many!!! I will change the world, I guarantee that, but I cannot fix everything. So what exactly and specifically is my calling? I dunno. And what is my greatest passion? To know God and make God known. To change the world and point people to the feet of the One who made them and loves them with an undying love. To change things not only spiritually but also physically for people, especially those living in less-than-human conditions, which sadly is probably most of the world's population. My passion is to be the hands and feet of Christ daily to all people and all peoples. So in order to do these things and to be what God wants me to be, where do I go from here? I dunno. For now it is to go on my knees in prayer at the foot of the cross. The Lord will lead me there in the Lord's timing. I will just wait on Him. But not a passive wait; no, I will wait actively, seeking to serve and not be served. Woo hoooo!!! :)

"The Lord's Spirit has come upon me, because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers, and to say, `This is the year of the Lord's favor.' " --Luke 4:18-19.


Peace :)