days 397-409: 2 weeks of whoa

WEEK 1:
- on monday & tuesday i gave an assessment, covering material from terms 1 & 2, which included (among many other things) several memory verses & references/questions to several Bible stories we've shared since january! the kids did great & were excited about good marks!
- after-school plans changed & instead of meeting with a large group the LORD opened the door both days to share the gospel with a number of students who were completely captivated by the story. they asked questions & their reactions of understanding for the first time were priceless. all glory to God! PRAY with us for these truths to sink deep into their hearts!
- wednesday i worshipped with students & connected briefly with the saturday discipleship girls
- thursday there was more toi toi (protests) - with police blocking roads we were unable to get to school
- sarah returned friday after being gone to zambia for a month
- discipleship on saturday with 3 girls in langa

(left) students at moshesh primary taking the Life Skills assessment
(right) students at xolani primary meeting with me under a tree since there was no open classroom, hearing the gospel using the bridge evangelism method

WEEK 2:
- one of the most challenging weeks so far...by far! we were scheduled to show the Jesus film on monday & tuesday but the enemy was definitely at work. monday it didn't happen - we ended up with 70 horribly behaved kids in one room with faulty equipment & no backup lesson. needless to say we left the school quite discouraged
- tuesday was challenging as the timetable changed yet again. we got to show the film to the students but they couldn't see the screen. ~60 kids crowded around a laptop. you can imagine the chaos.
- on wednesday, spiritual warfare was VERY evident at student worship during the lunch break. PRAY with us for protection here as we travel into townships daily where the presence of evil is continually recognized & feared by the xhosa people
- thursday was a turning point - FINALLY a good day! teachers got involved with us during classes & i had a great conversation with "A" between classes! bruce shared the gospel during SCO & we could sense the Lord at work.
- saturday none of the girls from langa could meet for Bible study. so, i decided to see if "A" could meet up. she was free & the school was open for tutoring, giving us a safe place to talk. after 3 hours the school closed so i drove her to the church to show her where we'd been trying to get her connected. as we sat there, the pastor (with his wife & kids) just "happened" to drive by. he said he felt like the Lord wanted him to come by...& now he knew why - to meet "A." he invited her to church the next day & said he'd be waiting on her. after he left, we continued talking for another hour & there parked in front of the one-room church, "A" prayed to receive Christ! she said amen & immediately began to weep saying, "i feel like this huge weight has been lifted...i always thought i had to have my life together before i could have a relationship with God." THANK YOU JESUS! :) thank you faithful PRAYer warriors for lifting her up...continue in PRAYer with us for a strong connection with the Body, for a continued desire to be in God's Word & for protection over our new sister!

days 393-396: urban strategy

this past weekend (thursday-sunday) we had the opportunity to attend an urban strategy meeting along with a number of other coworkers from the US who are serving in this country. the 4 days away was a good time to meet some new people, relax, worship & fellowship together. i got to enjoy some of my favorite things - good music right there on the oceanfront!

thanking the Lord for a sweet time of refreshment & the encouragement found in hearing how God is moving around the country. great to PRAY alongside of/over our like-minded brothers & sisters!!

days 389-392: moses

thank you guys for how you're continuing to PRAY for "A" to connect with a xhosa church. this past sunday was like the last 3-4 weekends in that we'd made plans to go together & it didn't happen. i called the night before to confirm with her & yet i sat at the school for 40 minutes waiting. no church. african culture knows no time! it's so ok - keep PRAYing!! trusting in HIS perfect time. the plan is to connect her with a national who lives a bit closer in the next few weeks.

monday & tuesday were pretty typical. this week i talked about stages of life...& wrapped up the last half of the lesson by storying through the life of moses. while they struggled with behavior continually, once the story began they were hooked! continue in PRAYer with us that God would continue to captivate these kids with His Word. 

wednesday was an opportunity to worship & connect with the kids/teachers at langa high again. there were a number of young men in attendance for the first time in a long time. & one young man led the group by sharing from jeremiah 1:4. i understood some here & there as he was sharing in xhosa (after asking if that was ok with me)...and as we've seen in other schools too, there were bits of Truth & bits of untruth mixed together. PRAYing that Daddy would completely saturate these schools with Truth & raise up leaders who are IN HIS WORD!

days 385-388:another holiday & a trip into nyanga

wednesday was another south african holiday so that meant no school...again! but i took advantage of that as well as the incredibly warm weather (turning to winter here - yuck!) & went to the beach to read & relax! it was much-needed & long overdue! thank You Lord for sunshine & oceans!

thursday was a long rainy day at phandulwazi high; what a difference a day makes...a good day nontheless! phys. ed. classes teaching tag games & another opportunity to meet & worship with the student Christian union. more conversations w/ "A," too. planned to meet at the school on sunday so we could go to church together.

friday was a fun day as always as i got to hang with my favorite MK who has become my little sister! that little girl is so good for my heart! :)

& saturday was incredible! met with 3 girls from langa high & started in on a 5-week creation-to-Christ storying method. they did AWESOME! by the end of our time, they had all shared & drawn the story...AND accepted the challenge to read through genesis 1-2 & share the story this coming week. it's such a sweet time to spend with these ladies & has quickly become one of my favorite times each week.

afterwards, i had the opportunity to take "N" home. she lives quite a ways away (nyanga) & takes a taxi 30-40 minutes one-way every school day. i knew she stayed with a foster mother. what i didn't know was that there are FOURTEEN kids in the home ages 1-19...& they all sleep in the same bedroom (6 bunk beds). you do the math. it was such a sweet opportunity to meet with her foster mom & hear the story of how she felt called to look after all these precious children. little did i know that one of our students from xolani primary (mondays) also stays there! but she peeked her head out from behind the mama as i was introduced. total surprise to me, but a definite Divine appointment by Daddy! :)

will you PRAY with us for satursdays especially??
- that the girls continue to open up & share,
- for opportunities to visit each of their homes,
- & for God to use them in a mighty way to reach their generation - this is THEIR PRAYer...will you join them?