"Can't imagine life without You,
cause it's all for You,
yeah it's all for You." <3

23 September 2008
Johannesburg, South Africa

African Ramblings. :)

Hello from Johannesburg! I want to thank you all again for the amazing support coming from that side of the ocean; you have been absolutely fantastic and I love you all so much. :) I have so much to write on and tell, but my time today is limited, so I will just hit the high points! I am blogging every week, so that is the easiest way to keep up with me. Thank you all for the prayers so far; I am feeling much better physically and God is truly doing great things.

My team and I are truly in awe of all that the Lord is doing here. We have each formed relationships that are growing and flourishing. Among the six of us, we are teaching three Sunday discipleship classes. We are doing orphanage ministry weekly and working with the youth on nearly a daily basis. We are so busy; we can’t seem to get everything done! :) What a blessing, to have so much of the Lord’s work to do! I really cannot tell you how much God is working in my midst and in my own life; suffice it to say, I am amazed every single day. I have learned more about my Saviour in the past two months than I have in my entire life. I wish I could just go on and on, but we will save that for another time. :)

We are entering a time of great opportunity: school holidays begin this Friday, September 26 and end October 6. This is a huge time for the youth; it is full of chances for good, and for evil. Please stand with us in prayer. Pray first for the youth: that no one would be arrested or killed in the midst of bad choices. Pray for Christ’s influence in their lives; pray that we, through Him, would minister to them in a mighty way. Pray for the Bible school we will be holding at the orphanage next week. This is an opportunity to make an eternal impact on the children there, as well as a way for the youth to realize their potential in Christ and His ministry. Pray for salvations, in the church and outside, and for great growth in faith. Pray for youth members, who have been sick, even hospitalized. Pray down Satan’s attack in their lives.

Pray for us in this time of great prospect; spiritual warfare steps up greatly in times of heightened work for the Lord. Satan attacks us consistently, but it will be worse in these times. Pray for strength for us, and for a constant sense of God’s presence. Pray for wisdom and courage; just lift us up. We are confident in the Lord’s care, but we are called to stand in the gap for one another.

Pray for the safety of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Persecution has been heightened in many places, including South Asia and parts of Eastern Africa. Pray for believers, pray for missionaries. Violence and fear are a part of many Christians’ lives, something so many of us cannot even understand. In our security, it is our call to stand in the gap. We are all a part of the body of Christ; we are all one family.

Lastly, continue to pray for the Hands On people all over this part of Africa. There are many of my ‘colleagues’ facing similar and even larger struggles, and I want to ask you to lift them up in a special way. Pray also for my church here, Lyndhurst. Pray that God would continue to work in lives here, and prepare the church for change. Pray that in the midst of political turmoil, people would turn to God. Pray for safety and peace here; pray that the Lord would ultimately be the one in power.

Again, I love you all so much, and I wish I could write more! If you have questions or just want to get a hold of me, feel free to write or email. You’ll get an answer as soon as Africa lets it get to you. :) I praise God for you, my family in Him. Continue doing great work in Him, and relying on Him fully. May His light shine bright in your hearts and lives.

Cheerio,
Sarah Elizabeth

"For I know the plans
I have for you,"
declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you
and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope
and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

20 September

20 September 2008
4:52 pm
Joburg

Love.
God loves me. He is holding me in the palm of His hand. He shows me grace and mercy every single day. He protects me and comforts me, He is truly magnificent. God also loves you. Yes, you. He made a way for you when there was no hope. He wants to be close to you. I’d love to share more with you about His love, and so would He. :) All you have to do is ask.

Urgency.
Can you name five people? Of course you can. You can probably name five hundred, or five thousand! Can you name five friends? Five family members? Five neighbors? What about five lost people? Wait a minute; you’re thinking- that was a quick jump. We got ‘deep’ all of a sudden. Yes, we did. That’s the point. This is not something you beat around the bush about, or something you put off. It’s urgent.
You are in one of two boats. Boat one knows exactly what a lost person is. They understand that a lost person is someone who needs the Shepherd and doesn’t know Him yet. Boat two, you have no idea what I am talking about. Please bear with me; you are the guest of honor. Back to you boat one people- you are reacting in one of two ways. The majority of boat one people the world over are thinking “this is nonsense.” Or something along those lines. They don’t understand why we are having this conversation, or they think it’s silly. Or they just don’t care. I’m not making an observation about you personally, just stating the facts. Two out of three Christians do not care about the souls of the world around them. Did you know that Christianity isn’t the world’s largest faith? Did you know that seventy percent of the world is lost? Did you know that of the thirty percent that isn’t, only ten percent care about the greatest command Christ gave us: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Care about one another. Be concerned that your lost friends are lost. It’s that simple. I’ll get back to you in a minute.
Boat two people, I want you to hear me for a second. God loves you. More than anything. I don’t know what you believe or don’t believe. I don’t know your stories, what you struggle with, what you’ve been through. But He does! He knows who you are- He created you! He wants you to know the peace that comes from knowing Him. He loves you so much, that He sacrificed himself for you, so that your own failures would not condemn you. “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” And when you realize how much you need Him in your life, He made it so simple for you to come to Him. All it takes a decision to believe that He is who He said He is, and that your hope lies in Him alone. If you want to know more about God’s plan or His grace or who He is, please do not hesitate to ask me. I will help you however I can. I love you, too.
Alright, boat one folks, back to you: this problem is bigger than you realize. You either are sharing Christ or you aren’t. I’ve been in both places. I want you to see the reality of the situation. If you think this isn’t important, you are fooling yourself- and you are building a wall between you and God. You cannot call yourself a Christian and not live like Christ. If He is indwelling in your heart, He will show in your life. It’s not about what you do; it’s about what He does. Faith without works is dead. This is what it’s all about: LOVE. Selflessness. Grace. Forgiveness. Quit judging and thinking they don’t deserve His grace or your time. They don’t deserve God’s grace- and neither did you. You still don’t. You never will. We aren’t capable of righteousness on our own; it is by God’s loving nature we have any hope at all. There is nothing more important than sharing the love we have received. That’s it. What life is about. If you think money or power or your own happiness or anything else is more crucial or pressing, you’re wrong. Don’t listen to what I have to say about it, listen to what the God of all the universe has to say. He saved us. He loves us. ALL OF US. Start seeing your lost coworkers and family members and friends for what they are: lost! Start acting like something is wrong- this is an emergency. Realize that God working through you could be their only hope, and speak and live accordingly. Live out your faith, and see what kind of wholeness you find in the One who gave you existence in the first place. He is in control, and He is the point of everything. It’s not about you and I; we are hopeless on our own. It’s about our Saviour.

Tears of the Saints
Leeland

There are many prodigal sons.
On our city streets they run,
searching for shelter.
And there are homes, broken down.
Peoples’ hopes have fallen to the ground,
from failures.
This is an emergency.

There are tears from the saints
for the lost and unsaved.
We’re crying for them,
“Come back home.
Come back home.”
And all Your children will stretch
out their hands and
pick up the crippled man.
Father, we will lead them home.
Father, we will lead them home.

There are schools full of hatred.
Even churches have forsaken
love and mercy.
May we see this generation
in its state of desperation
for Your glory.

There are tears from the saints
for the lost and unsaved.
We’re crying for them,
“Come back home.
Come back home.”
And all Your children will stretch
out their hands and
pick up the crippled man.
Father, we will lead them home.
Father, we will lead them home.

Sinner, reach out your hands.
Children, in Christ you stand.
Sinner, reach out your hands!
Children, in Christ you stand!

There are tears from the saints
for the lost and unsaved.
We’re crying for them,
“Come back home.
Come back home.”
And all Your children will stretch
out their hands and
pick up the crippled man.
Father, we will lead them home.
Father, we will lead them home.

And all Your children will stretch
out their hands and
pick up the crippled man.
Father, we will lead them home.
Father, we will lead them home.

amazing grace.

happy tuesday! :) it has been a fantastic week here. i am posting one piece i wrote earlier this week, and then a ministry/prayer update. i hope you all are well. :) i love you guys so much. alright, cheerio!

happy day. :)

it is a beautiful Tuesday morning in Joburg, and it has already been an amazing week! :) I spent the majority of last week in bed; bad bug of some sort. I went to the doctor on Friday, and they tested me for malaria- which thankfully came back negative! I started feeling sick that Sunday night and didn't get to feeling better really until this past Sunday. I am doing good now though. :) Don't worry. Thank you to everyone who prayed. Keep praying! :D Anywho, that means I don't have a lot of stories to tell from the past ten days or so. Sorry! My teammates have plenty going on, so praise God, and I am getting right back into the swing of things. I will tell you all about ministry in a minute. :) But first, I want to tell you about my adventures in Africa! :D
Yesterday, we went to the lion park! :D Ahhhh! I cannot express my joy. It was amazing! :D You guys know how much I get excited about things. I took pictures, and I am going to post a video my friend Greg made. It was a fantastic day. We also had South African chinese food for lunch. :) fabulous.

A quick outline of what my ministry (and life) looks like...
Sundays:
discipleship teaching (Sunday school) for 10-12 year olds @ 8:45
worship at 10:15
afternoons: complex ministry, relationship building
Mondays:
day off! (mall, 'field trips', chill time)
Tuesdays:
communication day (debrief with supervisor, email, blog, etc.) from 9am to 4pm
youth recreation time 4:30pm-6:30pm
Wednesdays:
relationship building and complex ministry
meetings (?)
cell group 7:30-9:30pm
Thursdays:
orphanage 9am-4pm
Fridays:
prep/study time; work on lessons, etc.
youth meeting @ 6pm
Saturdays:
all sorts of stuff.

Pray for the orphanage, that the Gospel would impact the workers and the kids. Pray for the Bible school we will be holding there in early October. Pray for the relationships being built in the community and that God would continue to bring us divine appointments. Pray for our strength and wisdom; pray that we would learn more about God every day. Pray for the youth and the struggles that they are facing. Pray for our cell group and discipleship classes. Pray that above all, God's will would be done in our lives. Pray for protection against the evil one's attacks, what we call spiritual warfare. Pray for our families and those we love at home. <3

Alright, you guys. I'm going to bid you goodbye for now. I am praying for you daily, and I love you all so much. Thank you for loving and supporting me. You are truly appreciated. :) God bless you and keep you until we meet again.

In Him,
Sarah

new pictures:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2276110&l=1d0bc&id=2734332

8 September 2008
11:24 pm
Joburg
Ministry & Prayer Updates.

I wish I felt like writing something inspired tonight, but I have been sick again the past two days. I’m okay. :) Just not full of energy. You can pray that I feel better; that would definitely help! Anyway, I want to write a short piece on what we’ve been up to, and how you can join in prayer.

This week was busy and went by quickly! We had cell group and went to the orphanage, did rec time with the youth, taught discipleship, worked at youth night, had fellowship, and spent lots of time in the Word. :) It was a great time; God is teaching me so much, I wish I could put it all into words! If you’d like to know more about anything, let me know. For now, be in prayer for the orphanage; we will be holding VBS there with the help of the youth in early October. This will not be just another Bible School; these kids most likely will not live to see young adulthood, so this is a matter of eternity. Pray for my Sunday discipleship class; pray for our complex- that doors would be opened for ministry. Pray for my team, pray for Lyndhurst. Again, I wish I had more to say, but I’m tired. :) I love emails- so keep ‘em coming! :) Be aware that I only have internet access on Tuesdays, my time, so if replies take a while don’t worry. :) I love and appreciate you all so much. Keep doing great things in His name.
love you always!

Sarah

6 September 2008
11:10 pm
Joburg
Radical Faith.
I went to the movies tonight. Yes, in Africa. :) I had a great time, but I realized that even something so simple is different in my new life here. I also realized just how different life is here; I mean, I obviously realized some of that earlier. It’s just it is being revealed in new ways all the time. It’s not about better or worse; it’s just different. The same way no two people are just alike, my life is different in this new place than it was in my old one. I struggled very much with the lack of the familiar; I have lived in the same place all my life before now. I felt so safe, so comfortable. And that’s all wonderful, but my life isn’t meant for just comfortable. I told someone in my first week in Joburg: my faith doesn’t even feel the same to me. That really bothered me; I thought, “Isn’t God supposed to be constant?” Of course He is. He is constant, He never leaves, never fails. He has been with me every single step of the way; on my fifteen hour flight where I threw up five times, to my terrifying first few nights at orientation, to moving to another new place with all sorts of brand new things. He is with me; He is holding me in His hands. He loves me with a passion undying, just the way He loves every one of you! What I am trying to say is, I have realized things are different. Things are bigger; bigger than just me, bigger than what I can take hold of. But they are not too big for my God. He knows every person in the movie theater tonight, everyone on the roads, everyone in every gated house I passed. He also knows, and loves, everyone in Africa and North Carolina and Albemarle and Belarus and every place in the entire world. He is working everywhere. He is working in me with every passing moment. He is working in homes and schools and workplaces and churches and nations. He is always aware and always caring. It’s different because it’s bigger than me. Bigger than my world, bigger than what we, as humans, can do. It’s His. The world is a mess because we made it that way. God made it beautiful, and the problems are our fault. But, because He is amazing, He is working every day to fix what we destroy. He is healing broken lives, changing everything. We aren’t capable of making it better. We can’t do a thing without Him. But through Him, absolutely nothing is impossible! Mark 11:24 says: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you will receive it, and you will!” Our God is just astounding; He listens to us and comforts us and holds us in His hands. Things are different here. Things are different everywhere. There are seven billion people on the earth, searching for purpose. There is only one Saviour, perfectly and totally sufficient for all of them! He feels different to me here because everything feels different here. I am out of my box; I don’t know anything at all, except Him. He knows that. He took my world and made it bigger and said “look and see. This is the scheme of things. You’re a part of it. So is everyone else here. I am going to do great things.”
Hillsong:
The same power that conquered the grave
lives in me, lives in me.
Your love, that rescued the earth,
lives in me, lives in me!
I feel like I’m rambling. :) What I am trying to say is, God is transforming the way I see the world. My faith is different here- it’s bigger! I need to look outside where I’ve been living and see what else is going on. God is great and mighty and He is at work. What a blessing to be beside Him in ministry! I just am so encouraged to see what He is doing. He is truly great and the more He reveals of Himself to me, the more in awe I am. The faith I had just isn’t enough. What I need, what God wants, and what the world needs to see is faith that steps outside the soft cocoon we live in. Stepping out on the waves to where Christ is standing can be terrifying, but it is so worth it. His presence with me is more real than I have ever experienced, because I am realizing I am nothing without Him; I am relying on Him, trusting Him for everything. We think we have it all under control, that we can keep on existing as though nothing is wrong in the world. But we are not in control. He is, always. We need to stop putting our trust in ourselves and our security and start understanding that it’s about Him, not us. We owe everything to our Father and Lord; we wouldn’t have that cocoon if it wasn’t for Him. We owe Him that much, to see the world for what it is: to see lostness for what it is. To realize that it’s all bigger.
Radical faith takes a radical step, but it doesn’t have to be halfway around the world. It could be just across the hall or down the street. Or on your knees. I pray that Christ’s glory and grace and mercy and beauty and awesomeness would just rain down on you. That there’s no mistaking Him for anything else. That you’ll know you were meant to love Him and worship Him and understand His love for you, and the whole world. That you would understand what radical faith looks and feels like. He is amazing; we are just amazingly loved.
Sorry if that was terrible and disjointed; it is almost one in the morning. :) Love you all. Let me know how I can be praying for you. Hope you can see the work of God clearly in your life and my own. It’s not about me; He is just fantastic beyond words. :) Goodnight!
Hillsong thought:
Your grace is enough, more than I need.
At Your word I will believe.
I wait for You, draw near again.
Let Your spirit make me new.
I will fall at Your feet,
I will fall at Your feet,
and I will worship You here.
Your presence in me;
Jesus light the way
by the power of Your word.
I am restored, I am redeemed.
By Your spirit, I am free.
I will fall at Your feet,
I will fall at Your feet,
and I will worship You here.
Freely You gave it all for us.
Surrendered Your life upon that cross!
Great is Your love, poured out for all.
This is our God!
Lifted on high from death to life,
forever our God is glorified!
Servant and King, rescued the world.
This is our God!
I will fall at Your feet,
I will fall at Your feet,
and I will worship You here.
I will fall at Your feet,
I will fall at Your feet,
and I will worship You here.

6 September 2008
2:20 pm
Joburg
With Everything
Hillsong

Open our eyes to see the things
that make Your heart cry.
To be the church that You
would desire; Your light to be seen.
Break down our pride, and all the
walls we’ve built up inside.
Our earthly crowns and all our desires,
we lay at Your feet.

Let hope rise,
and darkness tremble
in Your holy light.
Every eye will see-
Jesus, our God,
great, and mighty,
to be praised!

God of all days,
glorious in all of Your ways!
Oh, the majesty of
Your wonder and grace,
in the light of Your name.

Let hope rise,
and darkness tremble
in Your holy light.
Every eye will see-
Jesus, our God,
great, and mighty,
to be praised!

With everything,
with everything-
we will shout for Your glory!
With everything,
with everything-
we will shout forth Your praise.

Our hearts, they cry-
be glorified!
Be lifted high, above all names!
For You, our King,
with everything,
we will shout forth Your praise!

With everything,
with everything-
we will shout for Your glory!
With everything,
with everything-
we will shout forth Your praise!

4 September 2008
11:05 pm
Joburg
Worship.

I want to share with you a point someone shared with me during the past five weeks: Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is the ultimate goal, not missions! We (all of us!) were created to love God and be loved by Him, to live for Him, to worship Him. Because we are fallen, God has to reach down and bring us back to Him. He allows us to share in His work by sending us out to share His love. On that note, we, as God’s children, are all called to shine for Him. You made have heard it before, but it’s the truth- if you are saved by grace, you are called to share that. You, as a follower of Christ, are a missionary. It does not matter where you are, who you are. What your job title is. If you are a teacher, a nurse, a stay at home mom, a police officer, whatever- God put you there, He will use you if you let him. It’s not about us. Alone, we are completely incapable of achieving anything eternal. But through Him, we can do anything. Nothing is impossible! Rejoice in that. He loved us enough to give up His son on the cross, and He loves us so immensely that He touches our lives everyday and allows us to touch the world for His sake. :) What an amazing reason to be joyful!

On my heart right now is my ministry. Please be in prayer not so much for me as for what God is doing in my midst. Pray for my part in teaching Sunday morning discipleship for preteen girls, pray for those living near me, pray for the orphanage. Pray that God would be glorified. He is great and He is rocking my world every moment. I am absolutely in awe of what He can do and is doing, and I just love Him so much. I am not doing anything worth praising, but He sure is!

to close, a thought from Hillsong- their music is encouraging and inspiring me. you’ll probably hear more from them on here soon. :)

I have decided, I have resolved, to wait upon You Lord.

My Rock and Redeemer, Shield and Reward-

I’ll wait upon You, Lord.

As surely as the sun will rise, You’ll come to us,

Certain as the dawn appears-

You’ll come! Let your glory fall as You respond to us.

Spirit rain, flood into our thirsty hearts again.

You’ll come, You’ll come!

We are not shaken, we are not moved.

We wait upon You, Lord.

Mighty Deliverer, Triumph and Truth!

We wait upon You, Lord.

As surely as the sun will rise, You’ll come to us,

Certain as the dawn appears-

You’ll come! Let your glory fall as You respond to us.

Spirit rain, flood into our thirsty hearts again.

You’ll come, You’ll come!

Chains be broken…

Lives be healed…

Eyes be opened…

Christ is revealed!

You’ll come! Let your glory fall as You respond to us.

Spirit rain, flood into our thirsty hearts again. You’ll come!

You’ll come! Let your glory fall as You respond to us.

Spirit rain, flood into our thirsty heart again.

You’ll come! You’ll come!

it's update day. :) hope all is well with you guys. i am posting a new link, to the Hands On CESA website:
http://cesa.imb.org/stories/handson/home.html
this has info about all the hands on teams in our region.

i am also adding several posts i have written throughout the week. this will probably be the way it goes from now on. :)
okay, happy reading.
cheers from S.A.

oh yeah, i have the flu. pray through it with me. :) thank you!

there are a few more new pictures, same link as before.
:)

hello! it's tuesday again, time for an update. this past week has been sort of slow; i was sick a lot. Thankfully, feeling much much better! :) Praise the Lord. Last week I spent several days in bed; Friday was youth which was fantastic, Sunday was church. Monday was our day off, and we went to the mall. :) I am short on time today, but know I love and appreciate you all. Thank you for everything. I am praying everyday that God will be close to you.

If you would like my prayer update letter, let either me or my mom know.

Love you guys!
Sarah