Time keeps on slippin...

Emily starts work tomorrow, and tomorrow I move to Greenville. I was listening to Emily's ipod the other day and this kutless song-the lyrics of my life currently:


I thought I had it all under control
I thought my fate was still in my hands
All of my plans were firmly set
By the words that I say

I forgot how quickly things can change
Now my vision can not be the same

My life is not what I thought
I'm not where I planned to be
Though something's gone
There's nothing wrong with my changing world
Though something's gone
There's nothing wrong with my changing world

I need to let go of my destiny
I need to trust in things unseen
I believe in having faith
Though I yield my control

I forgot how quickly things can change
Now my vision can not be the same

I'm embracing all of my fears
I am watching them turn to delight
The very fears which were gripping my mind
Are now the hands shaping and sculpting my dreams


Well, its definitely true that God has really changed my entire mindset, and the outcome has been a giving up of my own plans. I think its been hard at times for my parents and for me in terms of my expectations of myself in their eyes, but its only out of obedience and reliance on God that I make these decisions that puzzle them.
Please pray for me in the time of transition, and that it would surely bring me closer to Jesus. There is just something about home sweet home that grips my heart-I never really look forward to leaving it! Maybe its just that I dont like growing up, and I wont lie, I hate it really....

Family Vacay!

Me and Kasey- she baked me a Welcome Home chocolate cake!
me and Em-notice the short haircut (i asked for an inch, she took 3 or 4)
Em and her sweetheart, Jake! He is definitely the guy for her!
the 3 musks! our facial expressions reveal our personalities ;)

the best dad in the world under our "sturdy" umbrella. Wish the worlds greatest mom were also in the pic, but she's camera shy.

Only in America!!

IM BACK!! Well, I only titled this post "Only In America" because that's one of the songs that I've added to my iopd lately. For starters, it feels good to be back in the summer sun, taking long showers, hanging out with the family, and resting. But I have to admit, I miss South Africa, and more than that, I miss the team!! At first it was a hard adjustment for me, to go from living with 3 girls that have become like sisters to me to being back at home!
The trip back was easier than the trip there, but God definitely used it to bring me closer to Him and to continue to build dependency on Him (Ive decided that this is definitely the theme of my life right now, no lie). I couldnt believe it when we finally arrived in D.C., and I could use my cell phone again!! The whole way to Greenville, it felt unreal- I think part of me felt like I would never make it back in one piece. God is good-He was faithful on all the take offs and landings!! So, dad greeted me in the airport :) It was great.
Since I've been back, our family took a week long vacation to Isle of Palms, which was fantastic because I love summer, and I got to enjoy the beach, the sun setting at 8:30 (3 more hours than Africa!!), and watching the Olympics. I'm thankful that mom and dad were willing to wait for me for the vacation, and it was probably one of the most fun vacations I have ever taken- we stayed at the coolest and nicest beach house I've ever been in!!! It was so fun- my favorite thing I did was take a bike ride through Wild Dunes (where we were staying)- I absolutely love riding and walking through neighborhoods, and it was just the right temperature! Jake came for a few days, which is always fun, and I really mean it.
Spiritually, some of the coolest things for me have been studying the Bible with Emily and Kasey! We have been studying Ephesians together, and we talk about real, deep things all the time...we had a great talk on a walk the other day that I will never forget. I have thought about the girls in Africa alot, and even emailed with a few. All the things that I experienced, all that God taught me, has really changed my heart- it has shown me that if I am willing, God can use me, and that Jesus has radically changed my life and can radically change anyone's life, no matter who they are. Which leads me to this- I really feel that God has a unique plan for my life, like He does for everyone's life, and I am fighting hard right now to trust that. I had a talk with the campus outreach director, and we are prayerfully considering that I would go on staff with Campus Outreach. Be a full time missionary to college students here in America :) That is the desire of my heart. Right now, Im excited but also scared about the future, I fear failure sometimes, and I know that the process for going on staff isnt easy-raising support is a process that I feared in going to South Africa, and the task seems overwhelming. But I am trusting that if God does want me on staff, He will provide me a team of supporters who will send me to do God's will. Once again (like the start of this summer), I am so aware of how out of control of my life I am and how in control of my life God is!! Im very thankful for all the people that supported me financially and in prayer this summer, and for my close sisters in Christ like Jennifer, Taylor, Wendy, Christine, Ashton, and Brittni who have encouraged me and continue to point me to Christ, not myself!
Its weird but cool to be back in Rutherfordton- in High School, I wasnt a Christian, so the way I lived here was definitely in the dark..but how amazing is it that life is so different now? Freedom. Thinking about this fall, if I had accepted going to grad school, I would have started today....I'm thankful God changed my heart and sent me to South Africa this summer!! Here are some things I am so so thankful for since I have arrived at home sweet home:
-sleeping in!!
-watching movies and tv, i never loved them until now!(High School musical and the Office)
-talking to my parents and sisters FACE TO FACE!!
-sugary cereal
-the beauty of summer nights
-songs that bring me closer to Jesus
-working out at the gym!
-deep conversations with Emily
-phone calls from the girls on the team!

I will update later...thanks for anyone who has prayed for me, and is praying for me!! ;) Please pray for my decisions about staff, and the usual, TRUST in the Lord!!

Going home....

Well..its almost time to head back to America. On tuesday, our team will go out for lunch then to the airport to go through customs- i think the flight is 18 hours!! Im not looking forward to it at all.
Im sitting in a Brazillian coffee shop in menlyn mall, making one last phone call to Em! I cant believe that our time in Pretoria is almost up- Elna's house definitely feels like home to me. I dont think I can sum up my time in SA right now, but I do know that God has been so faithful to me, really met me here this summer, and has grown me in so many ways!! I am so thankful for the girls that i have grown to love like sisters, for my partnership with Ashton and Charity, and for the ways that I have seen God more clearly and deeply.
Im really sad that this summer is drawing to a close, but happy to see the fam soon! Thanks for anyone who has prayed for me here, and continues to remember me in prayer- I am so grateful. I will keep up this blog hopefully because my journey does not end here, I will be on this adventure to know more of God and to make God known until I die.
Next time I write I will be home!!!

Welcome to the Princess Palace!

Well, thats a picture of our door! The Princess Palace consists of the girls that live in the main house at Elna's- me (Ariel), Teenie (Cinderella), Ashton (Belle), and Sara (Sleeping Beauty).Our room has gotten really close this summer (or winter). I think thats the thing that I will miss the most about South Africa- living with these girls! Ashton and I are ministry partners, and although were very different, she is definitely one of my best friends- we balance eachother out really well, and I feel like we are sisters! Other than my room, I've also gotten to know Brittni real well!!
So, time is getting shorter and shorter in South Africa. A week from today, we will be packing our suitcases and preparing to leave. Next tuesday, we're going out to lunch one last time at Nando's (one of my favorites!!!!) and then heading to Johannesburg to fly out around 6 PM, 12 PM american time. Please pray if you think about it, Im really nervous- we have to take off and land a total of 3 times before reaching home sweet home in Greenville, SC. But, I dont want to think about leaving just yet, and part of me isnt ready to-theres still a week of stuff to be done here in SA!
Lately, Ashton and I have been very busy- the pics below are some highlights of our week! We went shopping with Charity on Friday and had dinnter at Mugg and Bean (the closest thing to like a nicer Panera Bread) and then went to a Christian Rock and Rap concert put on by campus outreach with Hadi and Neikkie. The pic below is a pic of Neikkie and I with the lead singer of the Afrikaans Christian rock band- I dont know the name because it isnt in english, and the entire time that band played, I had no clue what they were singing or saying- but, they seemed very popular. On saturday, our team went to a pro soccer game-manchester united vs the chiefs. I stuck it out the 1st half, but pulled out my book the 2nd half. It was very crowded and kind of scary, but cool to get to say that Ive seen the number 1 team in the world (manu) play soccer! We went on a group date with another res of guy called Maroela (pronounced Ma rule a) to Mugg and Bean for milkshakes, then to see the new batman (SA is a week behind the US).
So, now im sitting in Mugg and Bean paying to use the net so that I can also use Skype. Im thankful to have a day of rest.
Some of the cool things that God has taught me this past week is that He is in control and over all things, and that no matter what we are going through or how the day goes, He deserves to be praised. I think before I came to SA, I had a view that limited God- kind of like, I will serve you if___ or because life is going good, etc. But, being here and being stretched alot and really having to rely on Jesus to make it through the days sometimes, I have really seen that God is superior in life, and in everything, even small things. It has made me appreciate that I can talk to people, even in another country, about Jesus- the message is for anyone and everyone, no matter where they are in life. This past week, I got to share my life story with a girl named Amo-even though she isnt a Christian, she is attracted to the message of it-that we are free, new creations when we give our life to Jesus!! Something is holding her back, and it could be that morality, the good things that we do, are what makes us a Christian or not in her mind- but if that were the case, then we'd all be climbing up a mountain that had no peak, because everyone knows that for one thing, our motivations for doing good arent always pure, and for another thing, thats a legalistic life lived in pursuit of doing good, not God.
Anyways, it has been one awesome summer- i have gotten to really rest in God and come to know more and more about ministry than ever before!! Hopefully I will get to update this before we leave!! Until next time-

Fun times with Jasmyn girls!!!

T.I.E.

T.I.E.....this is Elna's. Thats the title of this blog entry, a play on the saying T.I.A. (this is africa...a kind of derogatory statement suggesting that anything can happen in africa-its africa, not america!) So, why do i say T.I.E.? Well, because thats what the whole team has been saying lately, as our power went out about 5 times in 2 days! Elna is the lady who owns this guesthouse and makes us breakfast every morning, takes care of us, lives here, etc. So, this past week, we had terrible power issues-once, we left and it was out, came back and it was on for about 20 minutes, then it went out again. It was bad- we lived by the light of a candle. One night, I simply crawled into bed at 10 PM, like a character out of one of those American Girl books. It was depressing. But on the good side, the power people (they have been here at least 20 times this summer, no joke) installed something to where we can flip the breaker when it goes out instead of it going out for hours.
So, this past week was our first week on the campus of TUKS! (the university of Pretoria). On sunday, we had a day of fasting and prayer, which honestly made me kinda weary about going on the campus, the gears seemed to change so quickly from all fun and games to strategic ministry, which is our purpose here, to really bring people into the ministry of Campus Outreach here, to build up laborers on the campus that have a heart for the lost, and to share with people who dont have a relationship with Jesus. So, on Monday at 3 PM, Ashton and I went to Jasmyn to begin ministry. We are following Charity, a girl on staff here with CO, who lived in Jasmyn when she was a student. Its also cool because Emily ministered in Jasmyn last summer, and let me just say that probably at least 2 times a day, people have hugged me and thought i was emily!
So, each day this week we went to the dorms and 3 and got picked up around 9:30. In the mornings, we have ministry training, time to read the Bible, prayer groups, and free time. Each time in the res, Ashton and I visit different girls that Charity has already begun building relationships with, basically sit and talk to girls for hours...it can be very draining. But we also have 3 Christian girls, Megan, Hadi, and Nomfundo that we are hanging out with and doing Bible studies with, and that is my favorite part. This weekend, we went to the movies and out to dinner with 3 girls! Then on Sunday we went to the opening night of Tuks missions week with some of the girls, it reminded me of a big rally at something like the JWC or ATL in the states. It was cool because the topic was missions, like what are we called to do about the 6,000 people groups that have never heard the name of Jesus? Its definitely something to think about, even though I halfway across the world, I am telling people about Jesus who have heard of Him, you know, the way its common to hear about Him in Sunday school and even get baptized, but thats alot different than really giving control of your life to Him and daily laying down your life. I think thats the hardest thing, is to shatter the myth about what Christianity is (and I find that to be true both here and in the US)- just because you read the Bible, go to church, or were raised in a Christain home doesnt mean you are a Christian. Being a Christian is about loving God and making God known...and loving God above all else, even good things like family, work, whatever,...and making Him known means that whatever you do wherever you are, if you believe, you tell others. This is hard to communicate to people, and I am praying the verse 1 Peter 3:15 for my time in Jasmyn: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" So, I want to live and share with gentleness and respect, but always be prepared to share...and it has been great to be able to really rejoice when i get to mention Christ's name as the One that I trust, even if i am not giving a full out talk about my faith.
Some fun things that have happened lately- Christine's bday (21st!) was on Saturday, so me and my roomies here got up at 6 AM and baked her a cake! (we had to make the icing because here in SA, theres no icing you can buy!) and we decorated the door and the room, and put her presents out like Christmas morning!!! It was great, we woke her up singing happy birthday, and that night, all the girls went out to eat at this nice cafe, and watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 days!!! It was so fun. Today was my sabbath- I spent it at the mall, paid too much money to call mom and dad and emily, and went shopping. I'll be honest, the fashion here is more metro than it is in the US...I couldnt find anything that I really loved, although I have worn all my clothes so so much, I couldnt find anything that I loved- there are stores like Guess, Levi's, and even some Gap clothes, but theyre all too expensive! Mom would be proud that I refused to shop anything but the sales (plus, I have no idea how I'm going to fit all this in my suitcases)
Well, I'll leave with some random thoughts-
-we only have about 2 weeks left! Its weird to think that...
-our room is now named Princess Palace..we all colored pictures of Disney princesses and decorated our door (Im Ariel!! of course)
-People on our team are overusing South African lingo...its very annoying, they say "Ah, Shame!!" and "as well" after everything, and the a sounds like a mix between O as in ostrich and A as in apple
-A girl became a Christian this week! Christine led her to Christ!!!!!:)