A Place to Bleed

Several years ago I started a Bible study in our home with women from the community. It was a little different from ones I had led in the past because it was with women I knew from my children's school or from around town but didn't have a strong relationship with yet. It was also different in that I was not working through a translator but was able to speak easily from my heart in English.

When we first started I apparently shared that this group "should be a place where you can come to bleed." I know I said this because I was reminded of it this morning by one original member of the group as she said it to one of the newest women to join us. I sat and smiled as wisdom, love, and Godly counsel poured from her heart onto the new member, much of which has come from this being her own place to bleed. It was awesome and absolutely the right thing for the other woman to hear!! I am so humbled by this. My mission: "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." I got to see that played out this morning in more ways than one and I'm so happy. Thank you Lord! Thank you for using me here!

Praying for Martha

Martha who runs Martha's House and cares for over 40 children every weekday from her home, 5 of which are in her full-time care as foster children lost her mom early Saturday morning. Martha is one in a million. She loves deeply and freely and gives to the fullest measure imaginable. Please join with me in praying for my dear friend who is in great pain over the death of her mom. Holy Spirit you are our comforter and we need you. We ask for your peace and comfort for Martha, her family, and all the children. Lead Martha in all the immediate decisions she must make and help her to remember your word of truth during these dark days. Pour out your Spirit on her. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Beautiful boy

I was about 7 months pregnant with Malachi when this beautiful boy arrived at the Lighthouse Shelter. His mother was dying of HIV and he had no other family. He was skin and bones and covered in scabies from head to toe. Within 2 days of being at the Shelter we asked if we could take him back to his mother because we knew he was going to die and would be better in her arms than with us. She visited the Shelter but decided he should remain. That was an incredible moment to witness as she struggled to make the best decision for her son. There was such love and tenderness in her eyes for him. She barely spoke a word and after holding him in her arms for quite a while walked over and asked what she must sign to let me him stay. This beautiful boy was so weak we had to feed him through a syringe. Most of my work was in the office and dealing with social workers, but with this little guy everyone got involved with his care because it was so hard on the staff. He couldn’t cry but would moan all day. The only time he would stop was if we took him outside and walked around the property. So that’s what we did. One of the caregivers would feed him and then we would take turns all day just walking with him. I remember he was so light in my arms it was unnerving.

By Thanksgiving, we were broken. We sat under a tree in the front garden, Derek led worship and we all prayed together. Someone mentioned this boy and we asked the Lord to take him. We just couldn’t handle it anymore and asked God to intervene and end this child’s suffering. And God responded. Within two weeks the baby was drinking from a bottle. Within four he was getting his first two teeth. That was over 8 years ago and this young man is just as beautiful as ever. Lord God you have a plan in mind for this young boy and we stand in amazement at what you do to accomplish your will. Bless him, protect him, keep her near you, open his eyes to see your hand upon him. Thank you God!

Update on drivers license

Progress? Well, I don't know if I'd call it that really but apparently my actual ID has been printed and on the 2nd of August was sent to the 'checkers' department of Home Affairs to be examined for quality sake. From there it will be sent to my hometown and I can go pick it up. I started to get really excited on the phone thinking "hey, how long can it be the 'checkers' department?" When she told me up to 6 weeks because they have backlog right now I laughed out loud.

I miss driving:(

Weekly Bible Study

This year YWAM Rustenburg has been serving our local church with a Foundations Course based on Hebrews 6:1-3. As a team we strongly believe in this material to transform the lives of both the new believer and the mature and and to challenge and change the life of the church itself. Our desire is to bring this material into YWAM Discipleship Training School as well as serve our local church by taking it into other churches in the area. Many people hear the word "foundations" and they think that it is only for new believers, but we as we keep digging deeper and deeper into His Word we are constantly in awe of the greatness of God and how everything He does fits so perfectly together. We've all done the course and are now doing the course for preachers and teachers. By next January, we will be ready to start teaching it YWAM DTS around the country as well as anywhere else God has in mind.

The Ladies Bible study decided we wanted to do it as our next study so I'm teaching it in my home. We've always chosen to do studies that give weekly assignments to keep everyone digging and staying in God's word, but this Foundations Course didn't really have one to fit our needs. So, I'm writing one. Every week is a different subject based on the Hebrews verses. I've written the 5-day study for the first two and am now writing the one on faith. Writing this as be the single most frightening thing I've done in my adult life. So much of my heart is coming out on the pages and I find myself feeling extremely vulnerable. I am extremely grateful for our church elders who have written the Foundations Course and can oversee what I'm doing. I'm loving every minute of it, but never imagined it would be this hard to do. I have much more compassion now for Derek who has been asked to rewrite the course for teens. Please join with us in prayer as we serve the Lord in this way. May He be glorified over and over again and my the lives of His children be greatly transformed!